Olaf Explained
Olaf or Olav (or British ; Norse, Old: Áleifr, Ólafr, Óleifr, Anleifr) is a Dutch, Polish, Scandinavian and German 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 the Danish form is Oluf. It was borrowed into Old Irish and Scottish Gaelic with the spellings Amlaíb and Amhlaoibh, giving rise to modern version Aulay.The name is Latinized as Olaus.
Notable people
North Germanic
Denmark
Norway
Sweden
Norse-Gaelic
Not all the following were strictly Norse-Gaels, but they share the most common Norse-Gaelic names.
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 Ukraine or Kievan Rus')
Scotland
Modern people
Given name
Middle name
- Erwin Olaf (Erwin Olaf Springveld), Dutch photographer
Fictional characters
- Count Olaf, the main antagonist in the series of novels A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
- Olaf, in Jungle Jam and Friends: The Radio Show!
- Olaf, an anthropomorphic snowman in the 2013 film Frozen
- Olaf, the Berserker, in the multiplayer online battle arena video game League of Legends
- Olaf "the Stout", in the video game series The Lost Vikings
- Olaf the Troll, in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Olaf, one of Snoopy's siblings in Peanuts
- Olaf Potato, an anthropomorphic potato in the British animated short series Small Potatoes
- Olaf the Smug Anteater, from
- Olaf the Lofty, an inventor from Noggin the Nog
- Agent Olaf, from Odd Squad
- Olaf (Agent Otto Jefferies), from the Anita Blake series
- Olaf One-Eye, ancient High King of Skyrim from the video game series The Elder Scrolls
Named animals
- Nils Olav, a succession of penguins at Edinburgh Zoo, officers in the Norwegian King's Guard
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
