Rolfe as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Rolfe

What is the meaning of the name Rolfe ?

The baby name Rolfe is a Male name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced US: /roʊlf/; UK: /rɒlf/ (respelling: ROHLF).

Rolfe is Germanic, Norse in Origin.

Rolfe stems from Old Norse Hrólfr, a contraction of Hróðúlfr (Proto-Germanic *Hrōþiwulfaz), built from hróð “fame, renown” and úlfr “wolf,” hence “famous wolf.” It entered England via Viking settlement and Norman influence (Rolf/Roulf), where the -e spelling became common in Middle English as both a given name and, especially, a hereditary surname. It is distinct from Ralph, which derives from Radulf “counsel wolf.”

Though never widely popular as a forename in Britain or America, Rolfe has persisted in periodic revivals alongside medieval-Scandinavian fashions. Noted bearers include poet Rolfe Humphries and film composer Rolfe Kent; the surname is exemplified by colonist John Rolfe. Variants and cognates include Rolf (Scandinavian, German, Dutch), Rolph (archaic English), Roulf (Norman), Icelandic Hrólfr, the medieval diminutive Rollo, and etymological relatives Rudolf/Rodolfo. Short forms: Rolf, Rollo; occasional nickname Rolly.