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Home › Baby Names Directory › Adolph

Adolph

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Adolph

Pronounced AD-olf /ˈæd.ɒlf/High

Meaning: Adolph is the anglicized form of the old Germanic name Adalwolf, from adal, 'noble,' and wolf, 'wolf' — 'noble wolf.' It was a respectable, common name among German and Scandinavian immigrant families for generations.High

In 30 seconds: Adolph means 'noble wolf' (said 'AD-olf'), from the Germanic elements adal, 'noble,' and wolf. It was long a standard immigrant-family name.
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Origin HighGermanic
MeaningAdolph is the anglicized form of the old Germanic name Adalwolf, from adal, 'noble,' and wolf, 'wolf' — 'noble wolf.' It was a respectable, common name among German and Scandinavian immigrant families for generations.
U.S. rank (2023)#12270 ↘ Falling
2023 U.S. births5 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1917
Total births (all-time)≈ 18,745

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 191718802023

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Adolph came to America with German and Scandinavian families and was in steady use through the early twentieth century, from the Germanic Adalwolf, 'noble wolf.' It reached its high point around 1917. Usage fell steeply from the 1930s and 1940s onward, associated with Adolf Hitler and the war, and it has been rare ever since.

A man named Adolph would today be very elderly, and the name is seldom given now. It is a legitimate old Germanic name with a clear, honorable meaning, but its wartime association has kept it dormant, and no revival is under way.

Did you know? Adolph was a routine American name in the early twentieth century, peaking around 1917; its sharp collapse after the 1930s and 1940s is tied to its association with Adolf Hitler and the Second World War.
Overall data confidence 85%
References — Adolph — Germanic Adalwolf, 'noble wolf'; peak ~1917, declined after WWII

Variations

AdolfAdolpheAdolfo

Nicknames

DolphAl

Famous Bearers

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If you like Adolph…

Rudolph— a like Germanic -olph name of the same era
Alfred— a same-period Germanic-rooted boy's name
Herman— a like old German immigrant-family name
Oscar— a same-vintage boy's name with a Nordic-Germanic feel

Explore names like Adolph

By themevintagegermanicnoble

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Adolph mean?

Adolph is from the Germanic Adalwolf, meaning 'noble wolf' (adal, 'noble,' plus wolf).

How do you pronounce Adolph?

It's said AD-olf /ˈæd.ɒlf/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Adolph a boy or girl name?

Adolph is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Adolph?

Adolph was a common early-twentieth-century name that peaked around the First World War era and has been rare since the mid-century.

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