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Names that mean wolf: 90+ wolf names and their meanings

96 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest

Names that mean wolf include Ulf (Scandinavian, wolf), Lowell (Norman French, little wolf) and Ylva (Swedish, she-wolf), and many more hide the wolf in an ending like -ulf or -olph.

Rudolph, Ralph and Randolph all end in an old Germanic word for wolf. Below are boy and girl names that mean wolf, the word wolf in other languages for any gender, Old English and Old Norse wolf names, the wolves of Norse mythology and famous wolves from legend and literature. Every entry gives the meaning and where the name comes from.

Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks

  • Bhediya

    Hindi for wolf, written भेड़िया

  • Kveldulf

    Evening wolf; Old Norse byname of Egil Skallagrímsson's grandfather

  • Lobo

    Spanish and Portuguese word for wolf

  • Wulfwynn

    Wolf and joy; Old English

  • Herjolf

    Army wolf; Old Norse, borne by a Viking settler of Greenland

  • Angrboða

    Giantess mother of Fenrir; she who brings grief

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Commands and housemates

  • About 1 syllable: short and easy to call.
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  • Sounds different from Max, Mia.

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  • No. 9 in AKC girls 2025

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Use the same short name every time. In a noisy park, dogs in one study picked out their name only when it was as loud as the noise around them.

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Boy names that mean wolf

Real boy names built on a word for wolf, from German, Norse, Irish, Welsh, Latin and Hebrew.

  1. Wolf 83 in 2025: From the animal; German and Yiddish, now also used in English
  2. Wolfgang 115 in 2025: Wolf path; German, the name Mozart went by
  3. Wolfram 5 in 2025: Wolf raven; German, borne by a medieval poet
  4. Wolfhard Under 5 in 2025: Wolf and brave; German, rare today
  5. Rudolph 25 in 2025: Famous wolf; Germanic hrod, fame, plus wolf
  6. Rolf 5 in 2025: Famous wolf; German and Scandinavian, a contraction of the old name behind Rudolf
  7. Rollo 9 in 2025: Famous wolf; Latin form of Old Norse Hrólfr, founder of Normandy
  8. Ralph 211 in 2025: Counsel wolf; from Old Norse Ráðúlfr. Say RALF, or RAYF in some British families
  9. Raoul Under 5 in 2025: Counsel wolf; the French form of Ralph. Say rah-OOL
  10. Randolph 20 in 2025: Shield-rim wolf; Germanic, brought to England by the Normans
  11. Randall 117 in 2025: Shield-rim wolf; from a surname based on Randel, a medieval pet form of Randolph
  12. Lowell 36 in 2025: Little wolf; from Norman French lou, wolf
  13. Faolán 9 in 2025: Little wolf; Irish, the name of several early saints
  14. Phelan 5 in 2025: Little wolf; an English spelling of Irish Faolán. Say FEE-lan or FAY-lan
  15. Conan 98 in 2025: Little hound or little wolf; Irish, from cú
  16. Bleddyn Under 5 in 2025: Little wolf; Welsh, from blaidd, wolf. Say BLETH-in
  17. Ulf Under 5 in 2025: Wolf; Swedish, Norwegian and Danish
  18. Varg Under 5 in 2025: Wolf; a rare Norwegian and Swedish name. In Old Norse, vargr also meant outlaw
  19. Ze'ev 6 in 2025: Wolf; Hebrew, linked to Benjamin, the wolf of Genesis. US parents usually spell it Zev
  20. Lupo Under 5 in 2025: Wolf; Italian, from Latin lupus
  21. Lope Under 5 in 2025: Wolf; Spanish, from Latin lupus, borne by playwright de Vega
  22. Loup Under 5 in 2025: Wolf; French, from Latin lupus. Say LOO
  23. Ingolf Under 5 in 2025: Wolf of the god Ing; Norse, borne by Iceland's first Norse settler
  24. Arnulf Under 5 in 2025: Eagle wolf; Germanic, borne by a Frankish king and emperor
  25. Vuk 12 in 2025: Wolf; Serbian. A mother who had lost babies once named a son Vuk, since witches were thought to fear wolves
  26. Conall 19 in 2025: Rule of a wolf; Irish, from cú, hound or wolf. Conall Cernach is an Ulster hero
  27. Raúl US #634: Counsel wolf; the Spanish form of Ralph. Say rah-OOL
  28. Rafe 179 in 2025: Counsel wolf; a form of Ralph from its old pronunciation. Say RAYF
  29. Velvel Under 5 in 2025: Little wolf; Yiddish, often paired with Benjamin or Ze'ev

Girl names that mean wolf

Girl names that mean wolf are rarer. These are real names, most from Old English and Old Norse, plus the she-wolf who nursed Rome's founders.

  1. Ylva Under 5 in 2025: She-wolf; Swedish and Norwegian. Say IL-vah
  2. Ulfhild Under 5 in 2025: Wolf and battle; Old Norse, borne by a 12th-century Swedish queen
  3. Faoiltiarna Under 5 in 2025: Wolf lady; Irish, the name of an early saint
  4. Rudolfine Under 5 in 2025: Famous wolf; the German feminine form of Rudolf
  5. Wulfrun Under 5 in 2025: Wolf and secret lore; Old English. Wolverhampton is named for her
  6. Wulfhild Under 5 in 2025: Wolf and battle; Old English, borne by a 10th-century abbess
  7. Wulfwynn Under 5 in 2025: Wolf and joy; Old English
  8. Wulfgifu Under 5 in 2025: Wolf and gift; Old English
  9. Wulfthryth Under 5 in 2025: Wolf and strength; Old English, borne by a saint of Wilton
  10. Lupa Under 5 in 2025: Latin for she-wolf; the wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus

Unisex wolf names from other languages

The word for wolf in other languages. These are words rather than traditional given names, so they suit any gender, a dog or a character.

  1. Lobo: Spanish and Portuguese word for wolf
  2. Lupus: Latin for wolf, also a Roman family name
  3. Lykos: Greek for wolf. Say LEE-kos
  4. Ulv: Danish and Norwegian word for wolf
  5. Volk: Russian for wolf, written волк
  6. Wilk: Polish word for wolf. Say VEELK
  7. Vilkas: Lithuanian word for wolf
  8. Ōkami: Japanese for wolf, written 狼
  9. Láng: Mandarin Chinese for wolf, written 狼
  10. Neukdae: Korean for wolf, written 늑대
  11. Dhib: Arabic for wolf, written ذئب
  12. Gorg: Persian for wolf, written گرگ
  13. Bhediya: Hindi for wolf, written भेड़िया
  14. Mac Tíre: Irish for wolf; literally son of the country
  15. Faol: Old Irish word for wolf, root of several Irish names
  16. Blaidd: Welsh for wolf. Say BLYTHE
  17. Bleiz: Breton word for wolf
  18. Madadh-allaidh: Scottish Gaelic for wolf; literally wild dog
  19. Mbwa Mwitu: Swahili for wolf and the African wild dog; literally wild dog

Old English and Old Norse wolf names

Warrior names from Anglo-Saxon England and the Viking Age, when wulf and úlfr were favorite name endings.

  1. Beowulf: Hero of the Old English epic; the name ends in wulf, wolf
  2. Wulfric: Wolf ruler; Old English
  3. Wulfstan: Wolf stone; Old English, borne by an archbishop of York
  4. Æthelwulf: Noble wolf; Old English, a 9th-century king of Wessex
  5. Eadwulf: Wealth and wolf; Old English
  6. Eardwulf: Land and wolf; Old English, a king of Northumbria
  7. Wulfsige: Wolf and victory; Old English
  8. Wulfnoth: Wolf and boldness; Old English, probably the father of Earl Godwin
  9. Thorolf: Thor's wolf; Old Norse Þórólfr
  10. Kveldulf: Evening wolf; Old Norse byname of Egil Skallagrímsson's grandfather
  11. Herjolf: Army wolf; Old Norse, borne by a Viking settler of Greenland
  12. Gunnulf: Battle wolf; Old Norse
  13. Brynjolf: Mail shirt and wolf; Old Norse Brynjólfr
  14. Ulfhedinn: Wolf skin; Old Norse, also a wolf-pelted warrior
  15. Fastulf: Firm wolf; Old Norse Fastúlfr

Wolves of Norse mythology

The wolves of the Eddas and the giants and places tied to them, from Odin's companions to the giant wolf who breaks free at Ragnarök.

  1. Fenrir: Giant wolf bound by the gods; Old Norse fen-dweller, also called Hróðvitnir, famous wolf, and Vánagandr
  2. Sköll: Wolf who chases the sun across the sky
  3. Hati: Wolf who chases the moon, son of Fenrir
  4. Geri: One of Odin's two wolves; Old Norse the greedy one
  5. Freki: Odin's second wolf; also means the greedy one
  6. Mánagarmr: Old Norse moon-hound, the wolf who swallows the moon; perhaps another name for Hati
  7. Garm: Blood-stained hound who guards the gate of Hel
  8. Angrboða: Giantess mother of Fenrir; she who brings grief
  9. Hyrrokkin: Giantess who rode a wolf with snakes for reins
  10. Járnviðr: Ironwood, the forest where the wolf brood was born

Wolves of legend and literature

Wolf gods, werewolves and famous fictional wolves from Greece, Egypt, Asia, the Arctic and the bookshelf.

  1. Lycaon: Greek king turned into a wolf by Zeus
  2. Lycus: Latin spelling of Lykos, wolf; the name of several mythic kings
  3. Wepwawet: Egyptian jackal or wolf god whose name means opener of the ways
  4. Amarok: Giant lone wolf of Inuit legend; Inuktitut for wolf
  5. Asena: She-wolf ancestor of the Göktürks in Turkic legend
  6. Faoladh: Irish werewolves of legend, said to guard the lost
  7. Bisclavret: Breton werewolf knight in a 12th-century tale by Marie de France
  8. Loup-garou: French werewolf; from loup, wolf, and garou, man-wolf
  9. Lycan: Werewolf; from Greek lykos, wolf, and anthropos, man
  10. Isengrim: The wolf of the medieval Reynard the Fox fables
  11. Akela: Kipling's wolf pack leader; Hindi for alone
  12. White Fang: Wolfdog hero of Jack London's 1906 novel
  13. Okuri-inu: Japanese sending-off dog, a wolf spirit of mountain roads

How to pick the right name

Look for the hidden wolf

In Germanic names, endings like -ulf, -olf, -olph and -wulf almost always mean wolf. Ralph, Randolph, Rudolph and Ingolf all count, even though the word wolf is hard to spot.

Pick everyday or mythic

Lowell, Ralph, Ylva and Phelan work on a birth certificate. Fenrir, Sköll and Geri are better for a husky, a game character or a fantasy story.

Check the sound where you live

Ylva, Faolán and Bleddyn are easy in Sweden, Ireland and Wales but may need spelling out elsewhere. Phelan and Lowell are simpler English forms of the same idea.

Names that mean wolf: 96 ideas from Nomezo

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Names that mean wolf, checked: the wolf names Americans use, the popular ones that don't mean wolf, and famous real wolves

By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names

Only three names that mean wolf were in the 2025 US top 1,000 for boys: Raúl (No. 634), Rudy (No. 739) and Zev (No. 866, its best rank ever). The wolf is everywhere in surnames, though: López, son of Lope, a Spanish wolf name, is the 12th most common US surname.

Some names sold as wolf names are not, among them Lupe and Ulrich. The tools above check a dog's name against commands and housemates, and the finder narrows the names by section, length or first letter, with US tags on the real given names.

  1. Step 1Pick a styleEveryday names, wolf words or Norse myth.
  2. Step 2See what Americans useRaúl, Rudy and Zev lead.
  3. Step 3Skip the false wolvesLupe and Ulrich mean something else.
  4. Step 4Mind the baggageVarg, Lupa and Adolf carry extra meanings.

Wolf names Americans actually use

  • Spelling decides it. In 2025, 277 US boys were named Zev and only 6 Zeev; the Hebrew Ze'ev, wolf, is linked to the tribe of Benjamin (Behind the Name).
  • Wolf surnames. López (No. 12, 878,958 people), Wolfe (No. 388), Wolf (No. 467) and Randall (No. 639) are all common US surnames (US Census Bureau, 2020).
Names that mean wolf on US baby boys, 2025
NameUS boys, 2025Trend
Raúl440 (No. 634, as Raul)Peaked at No. 190 in 1980
Rudy354 (No. 739)Peaked at No. 235 in 1947
Zev277 (No. 866)Its best rank ever
Ralph211Peaked at No. 21 in 1914
Rafe179Its most ever
Randall117Peaked at No. 53 in 1955
Wolfgang115Down from 148 in 2021
Conan98Its most ever
Wolf83Down from 107 in 2021

Source: US Social Security Administration, births 1880 to 2025. No girl's name with a clear wolf meaning reached 50 US births; Ylva has never had more than 7.

Names that don't really mean wolf

Names often listed as wolf names, and what they mean
NameWhat it really means
Lupe, GuadalupeFrom Our Lady of Guadalupe; the place name may come from Arabic wadi, valley or river, only possibly with Latin lupus
UlrichFrom Odalric, heritage and ruler
KurtA German short form of Conrad, though kurt is Turkish for wolf
Conan, ConallHalf-wolf: Irish cú means hound or wolf

Sources: Behind the Name: Guadalupe, Ulrich, Kurt, Conall.

Famous real wolves

  • OR-7, called Journey. A gray wolf tracked from Oregon into California, he was the first known wild wolf in California since 1924; children named him in a 2012 contest (Wikipedia).
  • Balto was not a wolf. The famous sled dog was a Siberian Husky, and genome testing found no wolf ancestry; only the 1995 film made him a wolfdog (Wikipedia).

Wolf names with a story or a catch

  • Vuk, a protective name. In Serbia, a mother who had lost several babies would name her next son Vuk, because the witches blamed for the deaths were thought to fear wolves (Wikipedia)).
  • Adolf means noble wolf. It comes from Adalwolf, but its association with Adolf Hitler has lessened its use; it was last in the US top 1,000 in 1928 (Behind the Name).
  • Check the second meanings. Old Norse vargr also meant outlaw, Lupa had a vulgar slang sense in ancient Rome, and Lupus is also the name of a disease, so say them aloud and search them before you commit.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What name means wolf?

Ulf, Varg, Lupo, Loup and Ze'ev all simply mean wolf. Lowell, Faolán and Bleddyn mean little wolf, and Ylva means she-wolf.

What girl names mean wolf?

Ylva (she-wolf), a Swedish and Norwegian name, is the clearest example. Others are Ulfhild (wolf and battle), Rudolfine (famous wolf), the Irish Faoiltiarna (wolf lady) and Old English names such as Wulfrun and Wulfwynn.

Does Rudolph mean wolf?

Yes. Rudolph combines Germanic hrod, fame, with wolf, so it means famous wolf. Ralph, Randolph, Rolf and Rollo also end in the old word for wolf.

What is the Norse word for wolf?

Old Norse had úlfr for wolf and vargr, which also meant outlaw. Modern Swedish uses varg, and Danish and Norwegian use ulv.

What are Odin's wolves called?

Odin's two wolves are Geri and Freki, and both names mean the greedy or ravenous one. Fenrir, the giant wolf bound by the gods, is a different creature, a son of Loki.

What is the most popular name that means wolf?

Raúl, a Spanish form of Ralph, counsel wolf. It went to 440 US boys in 2025, at No. 634. Rudy (No. 739) and Zev (No. 866) were the only other wolf names in the boys' top 1,000.

Does Lupe mean wolf?

Only possibly. Lupe is a short form of Guadalupe, from Our Lady of Guadalupe. The place name may come from the Arabic wadi, valley or river, and only possibly includes Latin lupus, wolf.

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