# Is "Adolph" a popular name in Germany for baby boys? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 28, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073 "2008-03-28T18:04:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/1 "2008-03-28T18:04:11Z")
And was it a common name before the 1930s? ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/2 "2008-03-28T18:09:10Z")
Certainly common before the war, much less so now for obvious reasons. (Unless you live in Spain or Latin America). [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf) > [@](#): > > Adolf, also spelled Adolph and sometimes Latinised to Adolphus, was a popular given name, especially in the German-speaking countries, in Scandinavia, in the Netherlands and to a lesser degree in various East European countries before the regime of Chancellor Adolf Hitler- including among Jews living in these countries and sharing their languages and culture, and who previous to 1933 had no reason to avoid the name. It is now a widely avoided name due to its negative association with Hitler. > > Similarly, the French version, “Adolphe” - previously a fairly common name in France and also the name of a classical work of French literature - has virtually disappeared. > > However, “Adolfo” - the Spanish version of the name - has not become stygmatised in the same way. It is still in common use in Spanish-speaking countries, without the parents bestowing it on their son being suspected of Nazi sympathies. The difference is likely due to neither Spain nor the Latin American countries having been subjected to Nazi German occupation. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/3 "2008-03-28T18:13:58Z")
Just a nitpick: Hitler’s given name was spelled with an f at the end, not ph. Nowadays, Adolf/Adolph as a given name for males is very rare in Germany. There are, of course, still people born in the 1930s, when Adolf was in fact a popular name, but after 1945, it grew out of use. I don’t know anybody of that name personally. After some googling, I found [this site](http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/2005.htm) (in German) listing the most popular German given names in 2005, and Adolf/Adolph is not among the top 100. It wasn’t among the top 30 in [1905](http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/1905.htm), either. It was, however, #30 in [1940](http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/1940.htm). In [1938](http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/1938.htm), when Hitler was at the zenith of his power (annexation of Austria, Munich Agreement etc.), Adolph/Adolf was not among the top 35. To sum it up, I’d say that the name was common, but far from being the most common, during the Nazi era and is almost obsolete now. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/4 "2008-03-28T18:18:23Z")
[This page](http://lexikon.beliebte-vornamen.de/adolf.htm) features a chart giving you the rank of Adolf among the most popular German given names over the decades. The decades on the top of the page says that it was among the most popular names for babies in 1890, when the name statistics commenced, and hiked in frequency during the 1930s. The name has nearly vanished form the statistics since 1951. ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/5 "2008-03-28T19:49:39Z")
FWIW I have known very few adult Adolfs; IIRRC there was always an uncle or grandfather of that name. The name seems to be still rarer today - the site linked by **Schnitte** does not have it even among the 250 most popular _second_ first names. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/6 "2008-03-28T20:14:10Z")
Off topic but i have been to a comedy show where the guy made a joke on that saying it would be like having some guy named Steve who was so evil no one ever wanted to name there kid Steve. It was a pretty funny bit ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/7 "2008-03-29T01:03:54Z")
[QUOTE=Schnitte] Just a nitpick: Hitler’s given name was spelled with an f at the end, not ph. [/QUOTE] Traditionally, it was standard practice when writing in English to Anglicize the spellings of given names – Anton Dvorak, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, etc. It’s not as standard as it used to be, but “Adolph Hitler” is still not uncommon. I had always assumed that Dolph Lundgren’s given name was Adolph. Apparently, it’s not. It’s Hans. So he voluntarily chose a name that people would associate with Adolph? ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/8 "2008-03-29T10:08:08Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Traditionally, it was standard practice when writing in English to Anglicize the spellings of given names – Anton Dvorak, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, etc. It’s not as standard as it used to be, but “Adolph Hitler” is still not uncommon. [/quote] Solzhenitsyn is not a very good example, because in his case you have to transcribe the name from Cyrillic into the Roman alphabet. AFAIK the transcription which stays closer to the Russian original would be Aleksander, as it’s written with two letters, kc, in Russian, but writing “Alexander” is more than just an anglicized form of his name, it’s also a transcription which involves additional problems. Yet, I see your point. > [@](#): > > I had always assumed that Dolph Lundgren’s given name was Adolph. Apparently, it’s not. It’s Hans. So he voluntarily chose a name that people would associate with Adolph? His [IMDB bio](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000185/bio) gives his birth name as “Hans Dolph Lundgren,” so maybe he chose to use his middle name, for whatever reason. Since Sweden had several kings with Adolph as their first or middle name, I guess that to a Swedish audience the name carries more positive connotations. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/9 "2008-03-29T13:12:40Z")
Wouldn’t the transcription of the name usually anglicized as “Alexander” from the Cyrillic be more like “Aleksandr” rather than “Aleksander”? Wikipedia says that his name is Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, which is Алекса́ндр Иса́евич Солжени́цын in the Cyrillic alphabet. Other sources I’ve looked at on this subject also tend to transcibe the name that’s anglicized as “Alexander” as being “Aleksandr” in a form that’s closer to the actual Cyrillic alphabet. (Note: I don’t speak Russian and don’t know the Cyrillic alphabet very well.) ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/10 "2008-03-29T13:18:29Z")
[QUOTE=Wendell Wagner] Wouldn’t the transcription of the name usually anglicized as “Alexander” from the Cyrillic be more like “Aleksandr” rather than “Aleksander”? Wikipedia says that his name is Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, which is Алекса́ндр Иса́евич Солжени́цын in the Cyrillic alphabet. Other sources I’ve looked at on this subject also tend to transcibe the name that’s anglicized as “Alexander” as being “Aleksandr” in a form that’s closer to the actual Cyrillic alphabet. (Note: I don’t speak Russian and don’t know the Cyrillic alphabet very well.) [/QUOTE] I don’t speak Russian either, but it seems to me you’re right - in Алекса́ндр, there’s no vowel between the д and the р, so Aleksandr is closer to the original. I stand corrected. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/11 "2008-03-31T03:55:02Z")
My grandfather, Hungarian/Jewish, was named Adolf. He was born early in the twentieth century. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/12 "2008-03-31T07:12:40Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] I had always assumed that Dolph Lundgren’s given name was Adolph. So he voluntarily chose a name that people would associate with Adolph? [/QUOTE] In the Netherlands, there are quite a few guys named “Dolf”. But no-one assumes otherwise then Dolf being short for “Rudolf” . ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/13 "2008-03-31T07:20:25Z")
[QUOTE=Schnitte] His [IMDB bio](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000185/bio) gives his birth name as “Hans Dolph Lundgren,” so maybe he chose to use his middle name, for whatever reason. Since Sweden had several kings with Adolph as their first or middle name, I guess that to a Swedish audience the name carries more positive connotations. [/QUOTE] This Swede says no. The kings were never called just Adolf but Gustav Adolf or Adolf Fredrik or something like that (our kings tend to go for multiple first names), and the name “Adolf” on its own makes me think of Hitler first, last and foremost. As for Dolph Lundgren, this is actually the first time I even noticed that his name is close to “Adolf”. I guess he just thought it sounded cooler than “Hans”. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/14 "2008-03-31T08:46:22Z")
[QUOTE=tschild] the site linked by **Schnitte** does not have it even among the 250 most popular _second_ first names. [/QUOTE] Second first names? 😕 Is that the same thing as a middle name? ---
**Author:** ![Mops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mops/32/16494_2.png) [@Mops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mops)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/15 "2008-03-31T09:27:23Z")
[QUOTE=neutron star] Second first names? 😕 Is that the same thing as a middle name? [/QUOTE] Approximately. You can register up to five first names at birth. The sequence is significant in records (and all names are used in really formal documents) but you can choose to use any one of them as your _Rufname_ (commonly used first name). I.e. if you’re Hans Anton Wilhelm Meier and like Anton best you don’t call yourself H. Anton W. Meier but just Anton Meier. A second or later first name is often used as a nod to a relative whose first name isn’t in fashion, so I’d expect Adolf to have a better chance as a second than as a first first name. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/16 "2008-03-31T13:37:35Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] Traditionally, it was standard practice when writing in English to Anglicize the spellings of given names – Anton Dvorak, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, etc. It’s not as standard as it used to be, but “Adolph Hitler” is still not uncommon. [/QUOTE] Is that an American thing? I can’t think of any examples of this ever being done in the UK. Hitler’s first name was always spelt Adolf here. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/17 "2008-03-31T13:41:28Z")
[QUOTE=tschild] I.e. if you’re Hans Anton Wilhelm Meier [/QUOTE] That’s my name, too! ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/18 "2008-03-31T14:07:09Z")
I know an eight-year old boy named Adolph who lives in NY state. His father is a pillar of the KKK and is otherwise a raving idiot. I feel really sorry for the kid. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/19 "2008-03-31T17:26:54Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] That’s my name, too! [/QUOTE] **tschild** misposted his reply - it was intended for the psychics thread. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073/20 "2008-04-01T23:10:28Z")
Actor [A Martinez](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0553436/bio) is named Adolph, but clearly prefers not to go by his given name. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-adolph-a-popular-name-in-germany-for-baby-boys/443073.md?page=2)