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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, 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

Named animals

Nils Olav, a succession of penguins at Edinburgh Zoo, officers in the Norwegian King's Guard