Wolfgang

Wolfgang

Gender Male
Language(s) Germanic languages
Origin
Word/name wulf (wolf) + gang (path)
Meaning Path of the Wolf
Region of origin Northern Europe
Look up Wolfgang in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany and Austria. The name is a combination of the Old High German word wulf, meaning "wolf" and gang, meaning "path, journey". The Old High German "wulf" occurs in names as the prefixes "wulf" and "wolf", as well as the suffixes "ulf" and "olf". "Wulf" is a popular element of the common dithematic German names. This is likely due the ancient reverence of the wolf as a strong, predatorial animal, also revered for its beauty. Names that contain this word also reference to Odin's wolves, Geri and Freki, as well as the apocalyptic Fenrir, and occurs in hundreds of German names. This theme exists in other names such as Adolf, Aethelwulf, Beowulf, Cynewulf, Rudolph, Wulfstan, Ulfilas, and Wulf. "Gang" exists in such names as Gangperht, Gangulf, Bertegang, Druhtgang, Hildigang, Hrodegang, and Wiligang. The earliest recorded bearer of the name was a tenth-century Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg. Due to the lack of conflict with the pagan reference in the name with Catholicism, it is likely a much more ancient name whose meaning had already been lost by the tenth-century. Grimm (Teutonic Mythology p. 1093) interpreted the name as that of a hero in front of whom walks the "wolf of victory". A Latin gloss by Arnoldus Emmeramensis interprets the name as Lupambulus.[1]

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References

  1. ↑ E. Förstemann, Altdeutsches Namenbuch (1856), p. 1347.
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