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Do Europeans Still Name Their Kids Adolf?
The historic name was shredded in the wake of World War II
For hundreds of years, the name Adolf was popular and respected in northern Europe. The name Adolf graced dozens of monarchs, including multiple kings of Sweden. There are even four canonized saints that had the name, Adolf. Unfortunately, the name was ruined by one leader who placed it on the list of the worst people in all of human history.
The actions of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler ravaged the world and led to the deaths of millions of people. For many, no name evokes feelings of disgust and horror more than Adolf Hitler.
The result is a conflict between the past and present. Adolf has had a long history in Europe, and the name is a part of millions of people’s family histories.
So do Europeans still name their children Adolf despite the negative connotation?
The answer, in most cases, is no.
Not only did Hitler start the bloodiest war in human history, he also ruined the tradition of an ancient European name.
No More Adolfs
Following World War II, the usage of the name Adolf plummeted across Europe. In some families, the name still exists as a middle name in order to honor family traditions. But as a first name, the use of Adolf has plunged to historic lows.
In Germany and Scandanavia, the name Adolf has all but disappeared as a first name. The name has also vanished from the United States.
In French, the name was spelled Adolphe, and it also, unsurprisingly, disappeared from the general population.
In Italy, the name was translated Adolfo, and it too dropped to near zero as a baby name.
Even people who were named Adolf before the events of World War II attempted to distance themselves from their given name. A man named Adolf Dassler was born in 1900, decades before the events leading up to World War II. Dassler started going by the nickname Adi to distance himself from the connotations of the name Adolf. That nickname, Adi, became the name of the popular company Addidas. Adolf Dassler founded Addidas in 1946, but he did not want his dream to be tainted by the name…
