# Rolf (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/rolf/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 2,409 |
| US rank (2010) | 12,802 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 128,163 people |
| Change since 2000 | +1.0% (2,384 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ɹɒlf/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Old Norse Hrólfr, and from its Old French equivalent, cognates of Rudolph. Brought to England by the Normans, survived in surnames and was revived in the 19th century, partly due to its modern Scandinavian cognate.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Rolf in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 94% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 2.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 0.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Rolf in the United States.

## People named Rolf

- Ida Rolf, American biochemist, creator of Structural Integration (Rolfing) (1896–1979)

## Similar surnames

Rolfe, Roloff, Rohloff, Rolph, Ralph.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.