Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words '' wolf'', meaning "wolf", and '' gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regular "wolf", the first element also occurs in Old High German as the combining form "-olf". The earliest reference of the name being used was in the 8th century. The name was also attested as "Vulfgang" in the Reichenauer

Verbrüderungsbuch A confraternity book (german: Verbrüderungsbuch, la, liber confraternitatum or ''confraternitatis''), also called a ''liber memorialis'' (memorial book) or ''liber vitae'' (book of life), is a medieval register of the names of people who had ente ...

in the 9th century. The earliest recorded famous bearer of the name was a tenth-century Saint Wolfgang of

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

. Due to the lack of conflict with the pagan reference in the name with Catholicism, it is likely a much more ancient name whose meaning had already been lost by the tenth century. Grimm ('' Teutonic Mythology'' p. 1093) interpreted the name as that of a hero in front of whom walks the "wolf of victory". A Latin gloss by

Arnold of St Emmeram Arnold of Saint Emmeram (Latin: ''Arnoldus Emmeramensis'', ''Arnoldus de Sancto Emmeramo'') was an early 11th century Benedictine scholar, writer, composer and prior at Saint Emmeram's Abbey. He was of noble birth, from the house of Vohburg. In his ...

interprets the name as ''Lupambulus''.E. Förstemann, ''Altdeutsches Namenbuch'' (1856), p. 1347.

Royalty and nobility

* Wolfgang of Regensburg (934–994), Bavarian bishop and Catholic saint *

Wolfgang, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen Wolfgang, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen (1 August 1492, in Köthen – 23 March 1566, in Zerbst), was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Köthen. He was one of the earliest Protestant rulers in the Holy Ro ...

(1492–1566), German prince of the House of Ascania *

Wolfgang of the Palatinate Wolfgang of the Palatinate (nicknamed ''the Elder''; 31 October 1494 in Heidelberg – 2 April 1558 in Neumarkt) was a German nobleman from the House of Wittelsbach. He was Count Palatine of Neumarkt and governor of the Upper Palatinate. L ...

(1494–1558), German nobleman from the House of Wittelsbach * Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken (1526–1569), Duke of Zweibrücken *

Wolfgang, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen Duke Wolfgang of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1531–1595) was the Prince of Principality of Grubenhagen, Grubenhagen from 1567 to 1595. Wolfgang was born on 6 April 1531 in Herzberg am Harz, Herzberg, the fifth son of Duke Philip I, Duke of Brunswick- ...

(1531–1595), Prince of Grubenhagen from 1567–1595 * Wolfgang, Count of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim (1546–1610) * Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg (1578–1653), Duke of Neuburg, Jülich and Berg * Prince Wolfgang of Hesse (1896–1989), designated Hereditary Prince of the monarchy of Finland * Wolfgang von Trips (1928-1961), son of a noble Rhineland family

Given name

* Wolfgang Albers (disambiguation), several people * Wolfgang Ambros (born 1952), Austrian singer-songwriter * Wolfgang Baldus, German philatelist and writer * Wolfgang Barthels (born 1940), German footballer * Wolfgang Bauer (disambiguation), several people * Wolfgang Bernhard (born 1960), former President of Chrysler * Wolfgang Blochwitz (1941–2005), East German footballer * Wolfgang Bodison (born 1966), American actor * Wolfgang Boettcher (1935–2021), German classical cellist * Wolfgang Bolyai (1775–1856), Hungarian mathematician *

Wolfgang Borchert Wolfgang Borchert (; 20 May 1921 – 20 November 1947) was a German author and playwright whose work was strongly influenced by his experience of dictatorship and his service in the ''Wehrmacht'' during the Second World War. His work is among t ...

(1921–1947), German author and playwright * Wolfgang Bosbach (born 1952), German politician *

Wolfgang Bosch Wolfgang Bosch was a politician in Carniola during the early 16th century when it was under the Holy Roman Empire. He became mayor of Ljubljana in 1520 and was the first mayor of the city to serve a period of four years. He was succeeded by Jurij ...

, mayor of Ljubljana 1520–1524 * Wolfgang Brinkmann (born 1950), German equestrian *

Wolfgang Clement Wolfgang Clement (7 July 194027 September 2020) was a German politician and a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He was the 7th Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 27 May 1998 to 22 October 2002 and Federal ...

(1940–2020), German politician * Wolfgang Danne (born 1941), West German pair skater *

Wolfgang Dauner Wolfgang Dauner (; 30 December 1935 – 10 January 2020) was a German jazz pianist who co-founded the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble. He worked with Hans Koller, Albert Mangelsdorff, Volker Kriegel and Ack van Rooyen and composed for radio, tel ...

(1935–2020), German jazz fusion pianist, composer and keyboardist * Wolfgang Dietrich (disambiguation), several people *

Wolfgang Dremmler Wolfgang Dremmler (born 12 July 1954) is a German former footballer who played as a midfielder. A trained metalworker, Dremmler was part of the West Germany team that reached the 1982 FIFA World Cup final against Italy at Santiago Bernabéu. ...

(born 1954), German footballer * Wolfgang Flür (born 1947), German musician, Kraftwerk *

Wolfgang Franz (mathematician) Wolfgang Franz (born 4 October 1905 in Magdeburg, Germany; died 26 April 1996) was a German mathematician who specialized in topology particularly in 3-manifolds, which he generalized to higher dimensions. He is known for the Reidemeister–F ...

(1905–1996), German mathematician *

Wolfgang Gaede Wolfgang Max Paul Gaede (25 May 1878 – 24 June 1945) was a German physicist and pioneer of vacuum engineering. Life Gaede was born in Lehe, Bremerhaven, the son of Prussian Colonel Karl Gaede and Amalia, nee Renf. In 1897 he began studyin ...

(1878–1945), German physicist and pioneer of vacuum engineering * Wolfgang Gartner (born 1982), stage name of the American electro house DJ Joseph Youngman * Wolfgang Herold (born 1961), producer *

Wolfgang Jerat Wolfgang Jerat (9 February 1955 – 10 July 2020) was a German footballer who became a coach. His son Tim Jerat is a professional footballer. Jerat was born in Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the ...

(1955–2020), German footballer * Wolfgang Joop (born 1944), German fashion designer *

Wolfgang Kapp Wolfgang Kapp (24 July 1858 – 12 June 1922) was a German civil servant and journalist. A strict nationalist, he is best known for being the leader of the Kapp Putsch. Early life Kapp was born in New York City where his father Friedrich Kapp ...

(1858–1922), Prussian civil servant and right-wing nationalist * Wolfgang Kautek, Austrian physical chemist * Wolfgang Ketterle (born 1957), German physicist *

Wolfgang Kleff Wolfgang Kleff (born 16 November 1946) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Club career Kleff was born in Schwerte, North Rhine-Westphalia. He joined Borussia Mönchengladbach from amateur outfit VfL Schwerte, ...

(born 1946), German footballer *

Wolfgang Kuck Wolfgang Kuck (born 12 October 1967 in Wülfrath, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a volleyball player from Germany, who played for the Men's National Team in the 1990s and the early 2000s. He earned a total number of 203 caps for the national squad. He ...

(born 1967), German volleyball player *

Wolfgang Langewiesche Wolfgang Langewiesche (pronounced:long-gah-vee-shuh) (1907–2002) was an aviator, writer and journalist. He is one of the most quoted writers in aviation writing. His book, ''Stick and Rudder'' (1944), is still in print, and is considered a primar ...

(1907–2002), German aviation expert and author *

Wolfgang Leonhard Wolfgang Leonhard (16 April 1921 – 17 August 2014) was a German political author and historian of the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic and Communism. A German Communist whose family had fled Hitler's Germany and who was educated i ...

(1921–2014), German professor and expert on communism *

Wolfgang Lück Wolfgang Lück (born 19 February 1957 in Herford) is a German mathematician who is an internationally recognized expert in algebraic topology. Life and work After receiving his '' Abitur'' from the Ravensberger Gymnasium in Herford in 1975, ...

(born 1957), German mathematician * Wolfgang Michel-Zaitsu (born 1946), German Japanologist * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), Austro-German composer *

Wolfgang Niersbach Wolfgang Niersbach (born 30 November 1950) is a German sports official and former sports journalist. From 2 March 2012 until 9 November 2015, he was President of the German Football Association (german: link=no, Deutscher Fußball-Bund, DFB). Bio ...

(born 1950), president of the German Football Association *

Wolfgang Overath Wolfgang Overath (born 29 September 1943) is a former West German footballer. A true one-club man, Overath spent his entire professional career at 1. FC Köln. He represented his country three times in World Cup finals, culminating in 1974 wit ...

(born 1943), German footballer *

Wolfgang Pagenstecher Wolfgang Pagenstecher (March 16, 1880 – December 26, 1953) was a German painter and heraldist. He was born in Elberfeld and died in Düsseldorf. Biography Pagenstecher was born in Elberfeld, German Empire, on March 16, 1880, as the third son o ...

(1880–1953), German heraldist * Wolfgang Pauli (1900–1958), Austrian-born Swiss American physicist, Nobel Prize * Wolfgang Petersen (1941–2022), German film director *

Wolfgang Petry Wolfgang "Wolle" Petry (born 22 September 1951 as ''Franz Hubert Wolfgang Remling'') is a German schlager musician and songwriter from Cologne, Germany. In 1997, he was named the leading German language musician in terms of chart figures for th ...

(born 1951), German singer and songwriter * Wolfgang Preiss (1910–2002), German actor *

Wolfgang Priklopil Natascha Maria Kampusch (born 17 February 1988) is an Austrian author and former talk show host. At the age of 10, on 2 March 1998, she was Child abduction, abducted and held in a secret cellar by her kidnapper Wolfgang Přiklopil for more than ...

(1962–2006), Austrian criminal, captor of Natascha Kampusch * Wolfgang Puck (born 1949), American chef *

Wolfgang Reinhardt (producer) Wolfgang Reinhardt (13 December 1908 – 28 July 1979) was a German film producer and screenwriter. He was best known for co-writing the screenplay for the film '' Freud: The Secret Passion'' (1962), which earned him Academy Award and Writers G ...

(1908–1979), German film producer and screenwriter * Wolfgang Reinhardt (athlete) (1943–2011), West German pole vaulter * Wolfgang Reitherman (1909–1985), German-American Disney animator * Wolfgang Rihm (born 1952), German composer *

Wolfgang W.E. Samuel Wolfgang W.E. Samuel (born February 2, 1935) is a German-born American author and a veteran of the United States Air Force. Early years Born in what is now Poland, ten-year-old Samuel, along with his mother and sister, ran from his home town of ...

(born 1935), German-born American author and a veteran of the United States Air Force * Wolfgang Schäuble (born 1942), German politician (CDU) *

Wolfgang Schmidt Wolfgang Schmidt may refer to: * Wolfgang Schmidt (athlete) (born 1954), German track and field athlete * Wolfgang Schmidt (politician) Wolfgang Schmidt (; born ) is a German politician and jurist who has been serving as Federal Minister for ...

(born 1954), German discus thrower * Wolfgang Schneiderhan (violinist) (1915–2002), Austrian violinist * Wolfgang Schneiderhan (general) (born 1946), German general *

Wolfgang Stumph Wolfgang Stumph (born 31 January 1946) is a German actor and cabaret artist. Early life Stumph was born in Wünschelburg, Lower Silesia (Poland) in 1946 to German parents. He was expelled from his hometown and grew up without a father in Dre ...

(born 1946), German actor *

Wolfgang Thierse Wolfgang Thierse (; born 22 October 1943) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He served as the 11th President of the Bundestag from 1998 to 2005. Early life and career Thierse was born in Breslau (Wrocław in present ...

(born 1943), German politician *

Wolfgang Tillmans Wolfgang Tillmans (born 16 August 1968) is a German photographer. His diverse body of work is distinguished by observation of his surroundings and an ongoing investigation of the photographic medium’s foundations. Tillmans was the first photog ...

(born 1968), German fine-art photographer and artist * Wolfgang Uhlmann, chess player * Wolfgang Van Halen (born 1991), American musician, Van Halen *

Wolfgang von Kempelen Johann Wolfgang Ritter von Kempelen de Pázmánd ( hu, Kempelen Farkas; 23 January 1734 – 26 March 1804) was a Hungarian author and inventor, known for his chess-playing "automaton" hoax The Turk and for his speaking machine. Personal lif ...

(1734–1804), Hungarian author and inventor * Wolfgang von Leyden (1911–2004), German philosopher *

Wolfgang von Schweinitz Wolfgang von Schweinitz (born 7 February 1953 in Hamburg) is a German composer of classical music and an academic teacher. Career Schweinitz studied composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, from 1971 to 1973 with Gernot Klu ...

(born 1953), German composer and teacher * Wolfgang von Trips (1928–1961), German racing driver *

Wolfgang Wagner Wolfgang Wagner (30 August 191921 March 2010) was a German opera director. He is best known as the director (Festspielleiter) of the Bayreuth Festival, a position he initially assumed alongside his brother Wieland in 1951 until the latter's ...

(1919–2010), German opera director *

Wolfgang Werlé Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the Old High German words ''wolf'', meaning "wolf", and ''gang'', meaning "path", "journey", "travel". Besides the regula ...

, German murderer *

Wolfgang Weyrauch Wolfgang Weyrauch (15 October 1904 – 7 November 1980) was a German writer, journalist, and actor. He wrote under the pseudonym name Joseph Scherer. Life and work Wolfgang Weyrauch was born Königsberg, Prussia as the son of a surveyor. Afte ...

(1904–1980), German writer and playwright

Middle name

* Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957) * Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (born 1964), formerly of the band Misfits * Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832)

Art, entertainment, and media

* ''Wolfgang'' (film), a short film directed by

Anders Thomas Jensen Anders Thomas Jensen (born 6 April 1972) is a Danish screenwriter and film director. His film ''Election Night (1998 film), Election Night'' won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Life and career Jensen was born in Frederi ...

*''

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix ''Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix'' is the fourth studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix. It was released on 25 May 2009 by V2 Records. While the band's previous work enjoyed a moderate underground following, the release of ''Wolfgang Amadeus Pho ...

'', fourth studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix *Wolfgang, a character appearing in the American comedy television series '' The Thundermans'' *

Wolfgang Bogdanow This is a list of characters of the Netflix television series ''Sense8''. Most characters in the main cast are called sensates and all are exactly the same age in the show, sharing the same birthday, August 8. During the Christmas special which s ...

, a character appearing in the American science fiction drama web television series ''Sense8'' * Wolfgang Krauser von Stroheim, a character from the '' Fatal Fury'' series introduced as the final boss of '' Fatal Fury 2''

References

{{given name, type=both, cat1=German masculine given names English masculine given names