# Olaf (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/olaf/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Norse |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈoʊl.əf/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 2,531 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 2,531 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 764, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Derived from Old Norse Óláfr.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 15 | 5,873 |
| 2012 | 15 | 5,908 |
| 2013 | 9 | 8,582 |
| 2014 | 22 | 4,494 |
| 2015 | 18 | 5,220 |
| 2016 | 10 | 7,997 |
| 2017 | 8 | 9,457 |
| 2018 | 7 | 10,435 |
| 2019 | 9 | 8,685 |
| 2020 | 7 | 10,302 |
| 2021 | 7 | 10,492 |
| 2022 | 6 | 11,919 |
| 2023 | 5 | 13,614 |
| 2024 | 5 | 13,698 |
| 2025 | 5 | 13,369 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 65 | 537 |
| 2012 | 53 | 649 |
| 2013 | 44 | 730 |
| 2014 | 52 | 650 |
| 2015 | 76 | 506 |
| 2016 | 61 | 594 |
| 2017 | 47 | 730 |
| 2018 | 38 | 821 |
| 2019 | 42 | 762 |
| 2020 | 27 | 1,019 |
| 2021 | 32 | 939 |
| 2022 | 15 | 1,609 |
| 2023 | 9 | 2,325 |
| 2024 | 9 | 2,443 |
| 2025 | 9 | 2,440 |

## In other languages

- Catalan: Olau
- Chinese: 奧拉夫 /奥拉夫
- Danish: Olaf, Olav
- Dutch: Olaf
- Estonian: Olev
- Finnish: Olavi
- German: Olaf
- Icelandic: Ólafur
- Irish: Amhlaoibh
- Italian: Olao
- Latin: Olaus
- Latvian: Olafs
- Lithuanian: Olafas
- Norwegian: Olav
- Polish: Olaf
- Portuguese: Olavo
- Russian: Олаф
- Scottish Gaelic: Amhladh, Amhlaidh, Amhlaigh, Amhlaibh
- Spanish: Olavo
- Swedish: Olof

## People named Olaf

- Olaf Stapledon, British novelist and philosopher (1886–1950)
- Olaf Thon, German association football player and manager
- Olaf Marschall, German association football player and manager (1966–)
- Olaf Ludwig, East German racing cyclist
- Olaf Kölzig, German ice hockey player
- Erwin Olaf, Dutch photographer, 1959–2023 (1959–2023)
- Olaf III Guthfrithson, 10th-century King of Dublin
- Olaf Cuaran, 10th century Norse king of Northumbria and Dublin
- Olaf Förster, East German rower
- Olaf Heukrodt, East German canoe racer
- Olaf Hampel, German bobsledder
- Olaf Fønss, Danish actor (1882-1949)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.