Olaf or Olav (/ˈoʊləf/, /ˈoʊlɑːf/, or British /ˈoʊlæf/; Old Norse: 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
- Olaf I of Denmark, king 1086–1095
- Olaf II of Denmark, also Olaf IV of Norway
- Oluf Haraldsen (died c. 1143), Danish nobleman who ruled Scania for a few years from 1139
Norway
- Olaf Haraldsson Geirstadalf (c.877–c.934), Norwegian petty king
- Olaf I of Norway Tryggvason, 969–1000
- 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
Sweden
- Olaf of Sweden (disambiguation) (I, II and III)
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 Ukraine or Kievan Rus')
- Uleb Ragnvaldsson, son of Ragnvald Ulfsson jarl of Staraja Ladoga (Aldeigjuborg), military leader of Novgorod Republic in conquering of Yugra in 1032
Scotland
- Amlaíb, King of Scotland (971–977)
Modern people
Given name
- Olav V of Norway, king 1957–1991
- Olaf Amundsen (1876–1939), Norwegian lawyer and politician
- Olaf Fink (1914–1973), American educator and state senator
- Olaf Lubaszenko, Polish actor
- Olaf Pooley (1914–2015), English actor
- Count Oluf of Rosenborg (1923–1990)
- Olaf Scholz (born 1958), German politician and current Chancellor of Germany
- Olaf C. Seltzer (1877–1957), Danish-born American painter
- Olaf Stapledon (1886–1950), British author and historian
- Oluf van Steenwinckel (died 1659), Danish building master and engineer
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 (Frozen), 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 Animal Crossing: New Leaf
- 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
- Olaf, a CO in Advance Wars
Named animals
- Nils Olav, a succession of penguins at Edinburgh Zoo, officers in the Norwegian King's Guard
Septs and clans
- McAuliffe (surname)
- Mac Amhlaoibh and Mac Amhalghaidh (Irish septs)
- Clan Macaulay of Lewis
- Clan MacAulay
See also
- All pages with titles containing Olaf
- All pages with titles containing Olav
- 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
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