boy's name

Rolf

  • Gender Boy
  • Syllables 1
  • Letters 4
  • Popularity Rare
  • Births on record 3,424

Ireland

#323

1970 births

Rolf is a boy's name with 1 syllable. In 2025 it was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

  • Peaked in 1960, when 96 babies were given the name.
  • After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
  • Today about 1 in 663,130 babies in the United States is given this name.
  • First appears in US birth records in 1912.
  • 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.

Rolf over time

Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.

663
'10 '20 '30 '40 '50 '60 '70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Rolf by decade in the United States
Decade Births
1910s 176
1920s 297
1930s 419
1940s 434
1950s 663
1960s 662
1970s 234
1980s 89
1990s 75
2000s 19
2010s 10
2020s (to 2025) 25

How popular is Rolf?

In 2025, Rolf was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

Where Rolf is used

Ireland #323 3 in 1970
Scotland #335 3 in 1980
France #2,397 5 in 1979
United States #12,814 5 in 2025

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.

Names that peaked alongside Rolf

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like Rolf also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Rolf over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for Rolf

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Rolf — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about Rolf

How popular is the name Rolf?

In 2025, Rolf was given to 5 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.

Is Rolf a girl's or a boy's name?

Rolf is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.

How many syllables are in Rolf?

Rolf has 1 syllable.

When was Rolf most popular?

Rolf peaked in 1960, when 96 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.

Is Rolf a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Rolf currently ranks #12,814 in the United States. After peaking in the 1960s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.