Germanic Wolf Boys

Ralph

English from German

"wolf-counsel"

Ralph has two diametrically different images: there's the suave Ralph Fiennes-type Brit (often pronounced Rafe), and then there's the Jackie Gleason blue-collar, bowling blowhard Ralph Kramden bus…

Wolfgang

German

"traveling wolf"

A name with plenty of grandeur, but a playful nickname, Wolfgang blends sophistication, wildness, and gothic imagery. While it may feel surprising in this century, it does have an allure for those…

Rudolph

German

"famous wolf"

Sure, he'd probably get a certain amount of red-nosed teasing around the holiday, but a boy named Rudolph could probably take it. Besides, he's got other, more distinguished namesakes -- the great…

Randolph

English

"shield-wolf"

Randolph is a timeworn classic that had its last hurrah in the 1940s, when Randolph (born George) Scott was starring in westerns, but then was probably done in by its tricky nickname Randy (which,…

Beowulf

Old English

"bee wolf"

This ancient name is that of the hero of the epic Beowulf , which is thought to be the oldest-ever poem in English lit written in the vernacular. J. R. R. Tolkien used the poem as one of his…

Rolf

Abbreviated form of Rudolf, German

"famous wolf"

Like Papa name Rudolf, Rolf never quite emigrated from the Bavarian Alps. You might want to move on to Rollo or Wolf.

Wulf

Wulf is a masculine name with ancient Germanic roots, directly meaning 'wolf' in Old Germanic languages. This powerful, single-syllable name carries historical significance as both a standalone name…

Adolf

German

"noble wolf"

Adolf may have been a Swedish royal name but the terrible dictatorship of Adolf Hitler has ruled out this name Adolf for any sensible parent. In the US last year, there were more than 100 boys' given…

Adolph

German

"noble wolf"

World War II stamped a permanent verboten on Adolph.

Adolphus

Latin

"noble wolf"

This softer version of Adolf is sadly still off-limits due to the connotations with Hitler.