''Alternate spellings include Wolfe,

Wolff Wolff is a variant of the Wolf surname which is derived from the baptismal names Wolfgang or Wolfram. List of people surnamed Wolff A * Albert Wolff (disambiguation), several people * Alex Wolff, American actor * Alexander Wolff, American writ ...

Wulf ''Wulf'' (Common Germanic "wolf") was one of the most prolific elements in early Germanic names. It could figure as the first element in dithematic names, as in '' Wulfstan'', but especially as second element, in the form ''-ulf, -olf'' as in ...

and

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 ...

.'' Woolf is a name that is used as a surname, given name, and a name among Germanic-speaking peoples: see

. This name is particularly popular in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

especially in the south due to strong Saxon influence: see Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. Historians on Anglo Saxon Britain such as Barbara Yorke, have commented that the Woolf name originated from Oswelf the 'Wolf', who was a famous Saxon lord who in legend fought Hengist and Horsa, King Horsa. He supposedly changed his name to 'Woolf' from the more Germanic spelling of Wolf. This is the first recording of the Woolf name, although according to Yorke it is most likely that other Saxon families changed their name to this translation. Notable people with the name include: *Aida Woolf (1886–1967) was a British dress designer *Arthur Woolf (1766–1837), English engineer, best known for invention of a compound steam engine *Benjamin Edward Woolf (1836–1901), British-American playwright, composer and journalist *Cecil Woolf (1927–2019), English author and publisher *Daniel Woolf (b. 1958), principal of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario *Edgar Allan Woolf (1881–1943), American playwright and co-author of the script for ''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939 film) *Fiona Woolf, Dame Fiona Woolf (b. 1948), Lord Mayor of London *Gabriel Woolf (b. 1932) British film, radio and television actor *George Woolf (1910–1946), Canadian horse-racing jockey *Harry Woolf (historian), Harry Woolf (1923–2003), American historian of science, provost of Johns Hopkins University and Director of the Institute for Advanced Study *Harry Woolf, Baron Woolf, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales *Herbert M. Woolf (1880–1964), American businessman and racehorse owner *Jack Woolf (1924–2014), American academic *Jimmy Woolf (1916–2003), South African footballer who played for Southampton F.C. *Leonard Woolf (1880–1969), author and husband of Virginia *Meg Woolf (1923–2023), English artist *Peter Wolff, English musician, drummer in the band The Echoes (English group), The Echoes *Raphael Woolf, British philosopher *Russell Woolf, Western Australian media personality *Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), English author and feminist

References

{{wolf-surname English-language surnames Surnames from given names