Olaf
Featured in baby name books
Olaf is an Old Norse name meaning “ancestor,” “forefather,” or “heir.” Olaf is also glossed as “ancestral talisman.” Olaf is very common in Norway and was borne by five Norwegian kings, though it has never quite fit in the U.S.
Sources: 10,000 Baby Names, Baby Names Made Easy, Baby Names Your Child Can Live With, The Everything Baby Names Book, The Best Baby Names for Boys, Baby Names (Laura Emerson), Numerology for Baby Names
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Usage of Olaf in different languages / cultures
The list below was created by gathering names from various sources for different languages, and then matching Olaf against each list of names.
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Albanian
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Arabic
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Armenian
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Bengali
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Bulgarian
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Catalan
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Chinese
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Cornish
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Croatian
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Czech
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Danish
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Dothraki
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Dutch
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English
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Estonian
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Filipino
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Finnish
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French
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Georgian
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German
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Greek
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Hawaiian
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Hebrew
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Hindi
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Hungarian
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Icelandic
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Indonesian
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Irish
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Italian
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Japanese
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Khmer
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Klingon
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Korean
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Latin
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Latvian
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Lithuanian
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Macedonian
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Norwegian
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Persian
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Polish
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Portuguese
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Romanian
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Russian
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Scottish
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Serbian
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Slovak
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Slovenian
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Spanish
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Swahili
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Swedish
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Telugu
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Thai
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Turkish
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Ukrainian
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Vietnamese
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Welsh
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Yiddish
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Yoruba
Note: In some cases it is possible for the check mark to be missing even if Olaf is used in a particular country, as almost no source name list has 100% coverage.
Olaf in official name statistics
United States
In 2025, 5 boys were named Olaf, making it the #12008 boys' name in the US. Since 1880, 2,531 boys have been named Olaf, with the most (79) in 1916.
Source: Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880–2025. Names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year are not listed.
Other countries
| Where | Rank | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium (City of Brussels) | #374 boys | 6 | Ville de Bruxelles / City of Brussels open data (figures from Statbel), 2013-2022 |
| Iceland | #206 boys | 2 | Registers Iceland (Þjóðskrá Íslands), 2025 |
| Netherlands | #260 boys | 60 | Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), 2025 |
| Norway | #274 boys | 14 | Statistics Norway (SSB), 2025 |
| Poland | #72 boys | 317 | Ministry of Digital Affairs (Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji), PESEL register, via dane.gov.pl, 2025 |
| Norway | #277 boys (all ages) | 1,788 | Statistics Norway (SSB), 2025 |
| Poland | #128 boys (all ages) | 19,961 | Ministry of Digital Affairs (Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji), PESEL register, via dane.gov.pl, 2026 |
| Switzerland | #796 boys (all ages) | 777 | Federal Statistical Office (BFS/OFS), STATPOP, 2025 |
Counts are babies born that year, or living people for "all ages" rows, as published by each country's statistics office or population register.
Olaf in other languages
- Olav Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Norwegian
- Ola Swedish
- Olao Italian
- Olavi Finnish
- Olof Swedish
- Oluf Danish
Source: Wikidata (CC0).
Storms named Olaf
Tropical storms, hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones that have been named Olaf, newest first.
| Storm | Year | Ocean | Peak wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Olaf (Category 2) | 2021 | Eastern Pacific | 167 km/h |
| Hurricane Olaf (Category 4) | 2015 | Eastern Pacific | 241 km/h |
| Tropical storm Olaf | 2009 | Eastern Pacific | 74 km/h |
| Cyclone Olaf (Category 5) | 2005 | South Pacific | 269 km/h |
| Hurricane Olaf (Category 1) | 2003 | Eastern Pacific | 120 km/h |
| Tropical storm Olaf | 1997 | Eastern Pacific | 111 km/h |
| Hurricane Olaf (Category 1) | 1985 | Eastern Pacific | 139 km/h |
Source: IBTrACS, NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Peak wind is the highest sustained wind recorded for the storm.
Towns named Olaf
There are 2 towns and villages with Olaf in their name.
| Name | Where | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Olaf | Iowa, 🇺🇸 United States | 108 | Map |
| Olaf | Iowa, 🇺🇸 United States | – | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Lakes named Olaf
There are 6 lakes and reservoirs with Olaf in their name, in 2 countries.
🇺🇸 United States 5🇨🇦 Canada 1
| Name | Where | |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Olaf | Minnesota, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Lake Olaf | Minnesota, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Olaf Lake | British Columbia, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Olaf Lake | Alaska, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Saint Olaf Lake | Minnesota, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Saint Olaf Lake | Minnesota, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Olaf songs
6 songs and musical works on Wikidata have Olaf in their title. The best known:
- Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf – Edward Elgar
- ST. OLAF (Dahle)
- ST. OLAF (Lomas)
- ST. OLAF'S
- The Praise of King Olaf – Gustav Holst (1910)
- The Praise of King Olaf – Gustav Holst
Song data: Wikidata (CC0), ordered by how widely each song is covered on Wikipedia.
Celebrities named Olaf
Based on celebrities listed on Wikipedia, filtered to only those with the first name Olaf.
Olaf Bodden
Olaf Ludwig
Olaf Olsen
Olaf Zinke
Fictional characters named Olaf
Characters from films and TV series, from Wikidata, ordered by how widely they are covered on Wikipedia.
Character data: Wikidata (CC0). Images: Wikimedia Commons; click an image for its author and licence.
Olaf as a pet name
FurryName has found 109 dogs named Olaf in public pet registers, making it the #1,367 dog name there. Most of them are registered in Laval (5), Basel (3), Worcester (2). Olaf as a dog name →
FurryName has found 10 cats named Olaf in public pet registers, making it the #866 cat name there. Most of them are registered in Seattle (5), Fusagasugá (1), Villavicencio (1). Olaf as a cat name →
Olaf products
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Olaf bracelet
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Olaf keychain
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Olaf ornament
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Olaf baby blanket
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Olaf name puzzle
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Olaf wall sign
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Olaf pillow
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