Olaf
Olaf or Olav (/ˈoʊləf/, /ˈoʊlɑːf/, or British Ōleifr, Anleifr /ˈoʊlæf/; Old Norse: Áleifr, Ólafr) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse 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, Olav and Olaf are equally common, but Olav is traditionally used when referring to Norwegian royalty. The Swedish form is Olov or Olof and was borrowed from Old Irish and Scots spelled Amlaíb and Amhlaoibh, giving rise to modern version Aulay (see also Mac Amhlaoibh and Mac Amhalghaidh (Irish septs)). The name is Latinized as Olaus.
Notable people
Scandinavians
- Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf, petty king
- Olaf I of Norway Tryggvason, 969 – 9 September 1000
- Olaf II of Norway, 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, king 1370 – 23 August 1387; was also Olaf II of Denmark
- Olaf I of Denmark, king 1086–1095
- Olaf II of Denmark, also Olaf IV of Norway
- Olaf of Sweden (disambiguation) (I, II and III)
- Oluf Haraldsen (died c. 1143), Danish nobleman who ruled Scania for a few years from 1139
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 (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, also called Olaf Godredsson (1173/4–1237), King of Mann and the Isles 1229–1237.
Novgorod Republic (in Russia)
- Uleb Ragnvaldsson, son of Ragnvald Ulfsson jarl of Staraja Ladoga (Aldeigjuborg), military leader of Novgorod Republic in conquering of Yugra in 1032.
Modern people
- Olav V of Norway, king 1957–1991
- Olaf Fink (1914-1973), American educator and state senator
- Oluf van Steenwinckel (died 1659), Danish building master and engineer
- Olaf Stapledon (1886–1950), British author and historian
- Count Oluf of Rosenborg (1923–1990)
- Erwin Olaf (Erwin Olaf Springveld), Dutch photographer
Fictional characters
- Count Olaf, 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 (Disney), a fictional anthropomorphic snowman in the 2013 film Frozen
- Olaf, the Berserker, a character in the action real-time strategy PC game League of Legends
- 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 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
Septs and clans
See also
- Aulay, the Anglicized Scottish form of the name
- Ólafur, the Icelandic form of the name
- Olavi, the Finnish form of the name
- Olavo, the Portuguese form of the name
- Ole and Oluf, the Danish forms of the name
- Ola and Olov, the Swedish forms of the name
- Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav