Olaf or Olav (, , or British ;

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

: ''Áleifr'', ''Ólafr'', ''Óleifr'', ''Anleifr'') is a Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of

Proto-Norse Proto-Norse (also called Ancient Nordic, Ancient Scandinavian, Ancient Norse, Primitive Norse, Proto-Nordic, Proto-Scandinavian and Proto-North Germanic) was an Indo-European language spoken in Scandinavia that is thought to have evolved as a ...

origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" and ''laibaz'' "heirloom, descendant". Old English forms are attested as ''Ǣlāf'', ''Anlāf''. The corresponding Old Novgorod dialect form is ''Uleb''. A later English form of the name is ''Olave''. In the

Norwegian language Norwegian ( no, norsk, links=no ) is a North Germanic language spoken mainly in Norway, where it is an official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regi ...

, ''Olav'' and ''Olaf'' are equally common, but Olav is traditionally used when referring to Norwegian royalty. The

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

form is ''

Olov Olov (or Olof) is a Swedish form of Olav/ Olaf, meaning "ancestor's descendant". A common short form of the name is ''Olle''. The name may refer to: *Per-Olov Ahrén (1926–2004), Swedish clergyman, bishop of Lund from 1980 to 1992 * Per-Olov B ...

'' or ''Olof'', and the Danish form is ''Oluf''. It was borrowed into

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writte ...

and

Scots Scots usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: * Scots language, a language of the West Germanic language family native to Scotland * Scots people, a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland * Scoti, a Latin na ...

with the spellings ''Amlaíb'' and ''Amhlaoibh'', giving rise to modern version '' Aulay''. The name is Latinized as ''Olaus''.

Notable people

North Germanic

;Denmark * Olaf I of Denmark, king 1086–1095 * Olaf II of Denmark, also Olaf IV of Norway * Oluf Haraldsen (died c. 1143), Danish nobleman who ruled Scania for a few years from 1139 ;Norway * Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, petty king *

Olaf I of Norway Olaf Tryggvason (960s – 9 September 1000) was King of Norway from 995 to 1000. He was the son of Tryggvi Olafsson, king of Viken ( Vingulmark, and Rånrike), and, according to later sagas, the great-grandson of Harald Fairhair, first King of ...

Tryggvason, 969 – 9 September 1000 *

Olaf II of Norway Olaf II Haraldsson ( – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint Olaf (and traditionally as St. Olave), was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the title '' Rex Per ...

, or Saint Olaf, ruled 1015–1030 * Olaf III of Norway, king 1067–1093 * Olaf Magnusson (formerly IV) of Norway, 1103–1110 *

Olaf IV of Norway no, Olav Håkonsson , house = House of Bjelbo, Bjelbo , father = Haakon VI of Norway , mother = Margaret I of Denmark , birth_date = , birth_place = Akershus Fortress, Akershus Castle, Oslo , death_date = ...

, king 1370 – 23 August 1387; was also Olaf II of Denmark ;Sweden * Olaf of Sweden (disambiguation) (I, II and III)

Norse-Gaelic

Not all the following were strictly Norse-Gaels, but they share the most common Norse-Gaelic names. * Olaf the Black, 13th-century Norse king *

Amlaíb Conung Amlaíb Conung ( non, Óláfr ; died c. 874) was a Viking leader in Ireland and Scotland in the mid-late ninth century. He was the son of the king of Lochlann, identified in the non-contemporary '' Fragmentary Annals of Ireland'' as Gofraid, and ...

(King Olaf), King of Dublin, possibly identical with Olaf the White * Olaf III Guthfrithson (Emlaíb mac Gofraid), King of Dublin * Amlaíb Ua Donnubáin (Auliffe O'Donovan), regional Irish king

Mann and the Isles

* Olaf I of Mann, also called Olaf Godredsson (c. 1080–1153) *

Olaf II the Black Óláfr Guðrøðarson (died 1237) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Amhlaibh Dubh''), also known as Olaf the Black, was a thirteenth-century King of the Isles, and a member of the Crovan dynasty. He was a son of Guðrøðr Óláfsson, King of the Isles and ...

, also called Olaf Godredsson (1173/4–1237), King of Mann and the Isles 1229–1237.

Novgorod Republic (in Ukraine or Kievan Rus')

* Uleb Ragnvaldsson, son of

Ragnvald Ulfsson Ragnvald Ulfsson the Old (beginning 11th century) was a jarl of Västergötland or Östergötland and was married to a sister of King Olav Tryggvason.Winroth 1995–1997:616 Biography According to Snorri, Ragnvald was the son of jarl Ulf ...

jarl of

Staraja Ladoga Staraya Ladoga (russian: Ста́рая Ла́дога, p=ˈstarəjə ˈladəɡə, lit=Old Ladoga), known as Ladoga until 1704, is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the Volkhov River ne ...

(Aldeigjuborg), military leader of Novgorod Republic in conquering of Yugra in 1032.

Modern people

Given name

* Olav V of Norway, king 1957–1991 * Olaf Amundsen (1876–1939), Norwegian lawyer and politician * Olaf Fink (1914–1973), American educator and state senator *

Olaf Lubaszenko Olaf Sergiusz Linde-Lubaszenko (born 6 December 1968)Olaf Lubaszenko
at the Polish Internet Movie Database

, Polish actor * Olaf Pooley (1914–2015), English actor * Count Oluf of Rosenborg (1923–1990) *

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born ) is a German politician who has served as the chancellor of Germany since 8 December 2021. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice Chancellor under Angela Merkel and as Federal Minister ...

(born 1958), German politician *

Olaf C. Seltzer Olaf C. Seltzer (August 27, 1877 - December 16, 1957) was a Danish-born American painter and illustrator from Great Falls, Montana. He did over 2,500 paintings and illustrations of the American West, including cowboys. Early life Seltzer was born ...

(1877-1957), Danish-born American painter * Olaf Stapledon (1886–1950), British author and historian *

Oluf van Steenwinckel Oluf van Steenwinckel (died 1659) was a Denmark, Danish building master and engineer, probably the son of Hans van Steenwinckel the Younger. Biography In the 1640s he worked at Nykøbing Castle among other places and from 1651 to 52 he was Copenh ...

(died 1659), Danish building master and engineer

Middle name

Erwin Olaf Erwin Olaf Springveld (born 2 July 1959), professionally known as Erwin Olaf, is a Dutch photographer from Hilversum. Time magazine described his work as straddling "the worlds of commercial, art and fashion photography at once." Biography E ...

(Erwin Olaf Springveld), Dutch photographer

Fictional characters

Count Olaf The children's novel series ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' and its film and television adaptations features a large cast of characters created by Daniel Handler under the pen name of Lemony Snicket. The original series follows the turbulent ...

, a fictional character and the main antagonist in the series of novels ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' by Lemony Snicket * Olaf, a fictional character in ''Jungle Jam and Friends: The Radio Show!'' * Olaf, a fictional anthropomorphic snowman in the 2013 film ''Frozen'' *Olaf, the Berserker, a character in the multiplayer online battle arena video game ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a custom map for ''Warcraft III'', Ri ...

'' *Olaf "the Stout", a fictional character in the video game series '' The Lost Vikings'' * Olaf the Troll, a fictional character in the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' *Olaf, one of

Snoopy's siblings Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...

in ''Peanuts'' *Olaf Potato, a fictional anthropomorphic potato in the British animated short series '' Small Potatoes'' *Olaf the Smug Anteater, a fictional character from '' Animal Crossing: New Leaf'' *Olaf the Lofty, a fictional inventor from Noggin the Nog *Agent Olaf, from Odd Squad (TV series) *Olaf (Agent Otto Jefferies), a fictional character from the '' Anita Blake'' series. *Olaf One-Eye, ancient High King of Skyrim from the video game series

The Elder Scrolls ''The Elder Scrolls'' is a series of action role-playing video games primarily developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The series focuses on free-form gameplay in an open world. '' Morrowind'', '' Oblivion' ...

Named animals

* Nils Olav

Septs and clans

* McAuliffe (surname) * Mac Amhlaoibh and Mac Amhalghaidh (Irish septs) *

Clan Macaulay of Lewis The Macaulay family of Uig in Lewis, known in Scottish Gaelic as ''Clann mhic Amhlaigh'', were a small family located around Uig on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. There is no connection between the Macaulays of Lewis and C ...

Clan MacAulay Clan MacAulay ( gd, Clann Amhlaoibh, ), also spelt Macaulay or Macauley is a Scottish clan. The clan was historically centred on the lands of Ardincaple, which are today consumed by the little village of Rhu and burgh of Helensburgh in Argyl ...