Germanic Wolf Boys

Adolf may have been a Swedish royal name but the terrible dictatorship of Adolf Hitler has ruled out this name Adolf for any sensible parent. In the US last year, there were more than 100 boys' given the Spanish variation Adolfo and a handful given the old school Adolphus, but none named Adolf or Adolph....thank goodness.

World War II stamped a permanent verboten on Adolph.

This softer version of Adolf is sadly still off-limits due to the connotations with Hitler.

Bardolph is an antiquated German name that was used by Shakespeare for several minor characters. Short form Bardo, a Buddhist term for a Limbo-like state, would be more familiar and more fashionable today.

This ancient name is that of the hero of the epic Beowulf, which is thought to be the oldest-ever poem in English lit written in the vernacular. J. R. R. Tolkien used the poem as one of his inspirations for The Lord of the Rings.