Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The name is a combination of the

Old High German Old High German (OHG; german: Althochdeutsch (Ahd.)) is the earliest stage of the German language, conventionally covering the period from around 750 to 1050. There is no standardised or supra-regional form of German at this period, and Old High ...

words ''

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

'', meaning "wolf", and ''

gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...

'', 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 Germanic paganism or Germanic religion refers to the traditional, culturally significant religion of the Germanic peoples. With a chronological range of at least one thousand years in an area covering Scandinavia, the British Isles, modern Germ ...

'' 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 Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg ( la, Wolfgangus; 934 – October 31, 994 AD) was bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria from Christmas 972 until his death. He is a saint of the Catholic (canonized in 1052) and Eastern Orthodox churches. He is regarded ...

(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 (1494–1558), German nobleman from the House of Wittelsbach *

Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken Count Palatine Wolfgang of Zweibrücken (german: Pfalzgraf Wolfgang von Zweibrücken; 26 September 1526 – 11 June 1569) was member of the Wittelsbach family of the Counts Palatine and Duke of Zweibrücken from 1532. With the support of his r ...

(1526–1569), Duke of Zweibrücken * Wolfgang, Duke of Brunswick-Grubenhagen (1531–1595), Prince of Grubenhagen from 1567–1595 *

Wolfgang, Count of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim Wolfgang, Count of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim (14 June 1546 in Waldenburg – 28 March 1610 in Weikersheim) was the first Count of Hohenlohe-Weikersheim. He was the son of Louis Casimir of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg, who styled himself ''Count of Neuenst ...

(1546–1610) *

Wolfgang Wilhelm, Count Palatine of Neuburg Wolfgang Wilhelm von Pfalz-Neuburg (4 November 1578 in Neuburg an der Donau – 14 September 1653 in Düsseldorf) was a German Prince. He was Count palatine of Neuburg and Duke of Jülich and Berg. Life Wolfgang Wilhelm's parents were Ph ...

(1578–1653), Duke of Neuburg, Jülich and Berg *

Prince Wolfgang of Hesse Prince Wolfgang of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (''Wolfgang Moritz''; 6 November 1896 – 12 July 1989) was the designated Hereditary Prince of the monarchy of Finland (with the irredentist pretension to Estonia), and as such, already called th ...

(1896–1989), designated Hereditary Prince of the monarchy of Finland *

Wolfgang von Trips Wolfgang Alexander Albert Eduard Maximilian Reichsgraf Berghe von Trips (; 4 May 1928 – 10 September 1961), also known simply as Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips and nicknamed 'Taffy' by friends and fellow racers, was a German racing driver. He ...

(1928-1961), son of a noble Rhineland family

Given name

Wolfgang Albers (disambiguation) Wolfgang Albers may refer to: * Wolfgang Albers (politician) Wolfgang Albers (born 2 August 1950 in Essen, West Germany) is a German politician with the Left Party of Germany and a member of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin. Biography After co ...

, several people *

Wolfgang Ambros Wolfgang Ambros is an Austrian singer-songwriter. He is one of the most important contemporary Austrian musicians and is considered to be one of the founders of Austropop. Life 1952–1970 Wolfgang Ambros was born in the Semmelweisklin ...

(born 1952), Austrian singer-songwriter *

Wolfgang Baldus Wolfgang Baldus (born 1954) is a German graphic designer, artist, and philatelic writer. He is known for authoring and publishing books on cinderella stamps in the series ''History and Background Stories of Unusual Stamps'' and for his works on t ...

, German philatelist and writer *

Wolfgang Barthels Wolfgang Barthels (born 23 November 1940 in Marienburg) is a former German footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association footba ...

(born 1940), German footballer *

Wolfgang Bauer (disambiguation) Wolfgang Bauer may refer to: *Wolfgang Bauer (journalist) (born 1970), reporter for the German magazine ''FOCUS'', who observed war crimes in Afghanistan *Wolfgang Bauer (physicist) Wolfgang W. Bauer (born April 5, 1959) is a University Distingui ...

, several people *

Wolfgang Bernhard Wolfgang Bernhard (born 3 September 1960) is a former member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG. He served as the former President and COO of Chrysler from 2000 to 2004. Early life Bernhard was born Wolfgang Ayerle on 3 September 1960 in Bö ...

(born 1960), former President of Chrysler *

Wolfgang Blochwitz Wolfgang Blochwitz (8 February 1941 – 8 May 2005) was a football goalkeeper from East Germany. Playing career During his club career he played for 1. FC Magdeburg (1960–1966) and FC Carl Zeiss Jena (1966–1976). He made 275 appearances in ...

(1941–2005), East German footballer *

Wolfgang Bodison Wolfgang Bodison (born November 19, 1966) is an American actor best known for playing Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson in the 1992 drama film ''A Few Good Men''. Early life Brian Wolfgang Bodison was born on November 19, 1966, in Washington, D.C.

(born 1966), American actor *

Wolfgang Boettcher Wolfgang Boettcher (30 January 1935 – 24 February 2021) was a German classical cellist and academic teacher. He was principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and a founding member of The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic. From 1976, ...

(1935–2021), German classical cellist *

Wolfgang Bolyai Farkas Bolyai (; 9 February 1775 – 20 November 1856; also known as Wolfgang Bolyai in Germany) was a Hungarian mathematician, mainly known for his work in geometry. Biography Bolyai was born in Bolya, a village near Hermannstadt, Grand ...

(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 Wolfgang Walter Wilhelm Bosbach (born 11 June 1952) is a German politician and member of Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which he joined in 1972. A lawyer by profession, Bosbach is a partner at Winter, Jansen & Lamsfuß in Bergisch Gladbach ...

(born 1952), German politician * Wolfgang Bosch, 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 Wolfgang Danne (9 December 1941 – 16 June 2019) was a West German pair skater. He was born in Hildesheim. With partner Margot Glockshuber, he became the Figure skating at the 1968 Winter Olympics, 1968 Olympic bronze medalist. They were als ...

(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) Wolfgang Dietrich may refer to: * Wolfgang Dietrich (businessman) (born 1948), German businessman * Wolfgang Dietrich (footballer) (born 1949), Australian rules footballer * Wolfgang Dietrich (political scientist) (born 1956), Austrian peace resear ...

, 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 Wolfgang Flür (born 17 July 1947) is a German musician, best known for playing percussion in the electronic group Kraftwerk from 1973 to 1987. Flür claims that he invented the electric drums the group used throughout the 1970s. However, pa ...

(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 Joseph Thomas Youngman (born March 17, 1982), better known by his stage name Wolfgang Gartner, is an American DJ and music producer. Much of his music prior to 2010 was released through his own record label, Kindergarten, but he signed with Ultr ...

(born 1982), stage name of the American electro house DJ Joseph Youngman *

Wolfgang Herold Wolfgang Herold is a German film producer and sound supervisor. He gained his first experience working with sound at the AFN TV and radio stations in Germany and created production music for his own publishing company. Wolfgang Herold has been gi ...

(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 Wolfgang Joop (born 18 November 1944) is a German fashion designer. He is the founder of the fashion and cosmetics company JOOP! as well as the fashion brand Wunderkind. He is the father of fashion and jewel designer Jette Joop as well as wri ...

(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 Wolfgang Kautek is an Austrian Physical chemist and the head of the Physical chemistry department at the University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. ...

, Austrian physical chemist *

Wolfgang Ketterle Wolfgang Ketterle (; born 21 October 1957) is a German physicist and professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His research has focused on experiments that trap and cool atoms to temperatures close to absolute ze ...

(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 (born 1967), German volleyball player * Wolfgang Langewiesche (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 Wolfgang Michel/Michel-Zaitsu (born 1946 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany) is a professor emeritus of Kyushu University in Fukuoka (Japan). He is a specialist in medicine and allied sciences in the history of east–west cultural exchange. In 1984 he ...

(born 1946), German Japanologist *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

(1756–1791), Austro-German composer * Wolfgang Niersbach (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 (1880–1953), German heraldist *

Wolfgang Pauli Wolfgang Ernst Pauli (; ; 25 April 1900 – 15 December 1958) was an Austrian theoretical physicist and one of the pioneers of quantum physics. In 1945, after having been nominated by Albert Einstein, Pauli received the Nobel Prize in Physics fo ...

(1900–1958), Austrian-born Swiss American physicist, Nobel Prize *

Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film '' Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include '' The ...

(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 Wolfgang Preiss (27 February 1910 – 27 November 2002) was a German theatre, film and television actor. The son of a teacher, Preiss studied philosophy, German, and drama in the early 1930s. He also took private acting classes with Hans Schlen ...

(1910–2002), German actor * Wolfgang Priklopil (1962–2006), Austrian criminal, captor of Natascha Kampusch *

Wolfgang Puck Wolfgang Johannes Puck (born July 8, 1949) is an Austrian-American chef and restaurateur. Early life and career Puck was born in Sankt Veit an der Glan, Austria. He learned cooking from his mother, who was a pastry chef. He took the surname ...

(born 1949), American chef * Wolfgang Reinhardt (producer) (1908–1979), German film producer and screenwriter * Wolfgang Reinhardt (athlete) (1943–2011), West German pole vaulter *

Wolfgang Reitherman Wolfgang Reitherman (June 26, 1909 – May 22, 1985), also known and sometimes credited as Woolie Reitherman, was a German–American animator, director and producer and one of the " Nine Old Men" of core animators at Walt Disney Productions. H ...

(1909–1985), German-American Disney animator *

Wolfgang Rihm Wolfgang Rihm (born 13 March 1952) is a German composer and academic teacher. He is musical director of the Institute of New Music and Media at the University of Music Karlsruhe and has been composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival and the Sa ...

(born 1952), German composer * Wolfgang W.E. Samuel (born 1935), German-born American author and a veteran of the United States Air Force *

Wolfgang Schäuble Wolfgang Schäuble (; born 18 September 1942) is a German lawyer, politician and statesman whose political career has spanned for more than five decades. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he is one of the longest-serving politi ...

(born 1942), German politician (CDU) * Wolfgang Schmidt (born 1954), German discus thrower *

Wolfgang Schneiderhan (violinist) Wolfgang Eduard Schneiderhan (28 May 191518 May 2002) was an Austrian classical violinist. Career Schneiderhan was born in Vienna. From the age of five, he was recognised as a child prodigy. After briefly studying with Otakar Ševčík in Pis ...

(1915–2002), Austrian violinist *

Wolfgang Schneiderhan (general) Wolfgang Schneiderhan (born 26 July 1946) is a German general who served as Inspector General of the Bundeswehr from 2002 to 2009. Military career Born in Riedlingen, Schneiderhan entered military service on 4 April 1966 as officer cadet (Panz ...

(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 Wolfgang Uhlmann (29 March 193524 August 2020) was a German chess grandmaster. He was East Germany's most successful chess player, reaching the 1971 Candidates Tournament. During his career, Uhlmann played many of the top players of the time a ...

, chess player *

Wolfgang Van Halen Wolfgang William Van Halen (, born March 16, 1991) is an American musician. The son of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, he performed alongside his father as the bassist for the rock band Van Halen from 2006 to 2020. He also performed with the heavy m ...

(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 Wolfgang Marius von Leyden (1911-2004) was a German political philosopher who edited the letters of the 17th century empiricist, John Locke. He was born in Berlin on 28 December 1911, and was a grandson of Ernst Viktor von Leyden. He received ...

(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 *

(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 (1904–1980), German writer and playwright

Middle name

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897November 29, 1957) was an Austrian-born American composer and conductor. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential composers in Hollywood history. He was a noted pianist and compo ...

(1897–1957) * Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein (born 1964), formerly of the band Misfits *

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...

(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'' won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Life and career Jensen was born in Frederiksværk. He won the Oscar ...

*''

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 P ...

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

The Thundermans ''The Thundermans'' is an American comedy television series created by Jed Spingarn that aired on Nickelodeon from October 14, 2013 to May 25, 2018. The series stars Kira Kosarin, Jack Griffo, Addison Riecke, Diego Velazquez, Chris Tallman, R ...

'' *

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 ''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system. Games Canon * ''Fatal Fury'' – The first game of the ''Fatal Fury'' series allowed players to select one of three characters, Terry B ...

'' series introduced as the final boss of ''

Fatal Fury 2 ''Fatal Fury 2'', known as in Japan, is a 1992 fighting video game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms, and later ported to several other home systems. It is the sequel to '' Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' (1991) and the ...

References

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