NameCensus.

UK surname

Rolf

A Germanic nickname derived from the Old Norse "Hrólfr," meaning "wolf" or "famous wolf."

In the 1881 census there were 539 people recorded with the Rolf surname, ranking it #6,395 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 472, ranked #10,433, down from #6,395 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Newchurch and Brill. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Isle of Wight and Brighton and Hove.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rolf is 539 in 1881. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 12.4%.

1881 census count

539

Ranked #6,395

Modern count

472

2016, ranked #10,433

Peak year

1881

539 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rolf had 539 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,395 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 472 in 2016, ranked #10,433.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 539 in 1881.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rolf surname distribution map

The map shows where the Rolf surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Rolf surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rolf over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 514 #4,864
1861 historical 488 #5,352
1881 historical 539 #6,395
1891 historical 352 #9,781
1901 historical 495 #8,111
1911 historical 531 #7,492
1997 modern 466 #9,809
1998 modern 496 #9,658
1999 modern 510 #9,517
2000 modern 507 #9,530
2001 modern 495 #9,544
2002 modern 507 #9,532
2003 modern 477 #9,815
2004 modern 480 #9,793
2005 modern 467 #9,925
2006 modern 451 #10,221
2007 modern 465 #10,096
2008 modern 453 #10,345
2009 modern 478 #10,189
2010 modern 485 #10,277
2011 modern 483 #10,215
2012 modern 482 #10,131
2013 modern 492 #10,138
2014 modern 496 #10,124
2015 modern 483 #10,264
2016 modern 472 #10,433

Geography

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Where Rolfs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Newchurch, Brill, London parishes and Godshill. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Isle of Wight and Brighton and Hove. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Newchurch Hampshire
3 Brill Oxfordshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Godshill Hampshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Isle of Wight 010 Isle of Wight
2 Isle of Wight 009 Isle of Wight
3 Brighton and Hove 017 Brighton and Hove
4 Isle of Wight 008 Isle of Wight
5 Isle of Wight 011 Isle of Wight

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rolf

These lists show first names that appear often with the Rolf surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rolf

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Rolf, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Rolf surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Rolf household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Rolf is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rolf is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rolf falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rolf is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Rolf, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rolf

The surname Rolf has its origins in medieval Germany, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is a variant of the Germanic personal name Rudolf, which is derived from the Old High German words "hruod" meaning "fame" and "wolf" meaning "wolf."

The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Rolf dates back to 1195 in the town of Münster, where a merchant named Herman Rolf was mentioned in a local document. During this period, the name was also found in various forms such as Rolff, Rolfe, and Rolph.

In the 13th century, the name Rolf appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have migrated to England from Germany during the Norman conquest.

One notable figure bearing the surname Rolf was Sir John Rolf, a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in London during the 16th century. He was born in 1525 and played a significant role in establishing trade links between England and the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe.

In the 17th century, the Rolf family was prominent in the American colonies. John Rolf, born in 1585, was among the early settlers of the Virginia Colony and married Pocahontas, the daughter of the Native American chief Powhatan, in 1614. This interracial marriage was seen as an important step in fostering peaceful relations between the English colonists and the local indigenous tribes.

Another notable individual with the surname Rolf was Alfred Rolf, a German-American architect born in 1873. He is best known for his work in the Beaux-Arts architectural style, including the design of the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, completed in 1910.

Throughout history, the surname Rolf has also been associated with various place names, such as Rolfshagen in Germany and Rolfston in England, reflecting the migration patterns and settlements of families bearing this name.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rolf families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rolf surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Hampshire leads with 97 Rolfs recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.24x.

County Total Index
Hampshire 97 9.24x
Middlesex 93 1.82x
Kent 53 3.03x
Sussex 36 4.17x
Buckinghamshire 34 10.98x
Surrey 27 1.08x
Berkshire 22 5.72x
Essex 21 2.08x
Norfolk 16 2.03x
Hertfordshire 14 3.97x
Lancashire 11 0.18x
Durham 9 0.59x
Nottinghamshire 9 1.30x
Suffolk 9 1.44x
Warwickshire 9 0.70x
Wiltshire 9 1.99x
Dorset 8 2.38x
Northumberland 7 0.92x
Bedfordshire 6 2.26x
Cambridgeshire 6 1.85x
Cornwall 6 1.03x
Glamorgan 5 0.56x
Staffordshire 4 0.23x
Yorkshire 4 0.08x
Lincolnshire 3 0.37x
Oxfordshire 2 0.63x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.21x
Derbyshire 1 0.12x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.61x
Royal Navy 1 1.64x
Shropshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Brighton in Sussex leads with 27 Rolfs recorded in 1881 and an index of 15.50x.

Place Total Index
Brighton 27 15.50x
Brill 21 925.11x
Godshill 17 702.48x
Whippingham 16 201.26x
Hammersmith London 13 10.31x
Christchurch 11 48.33x
Kingsclere 11 229.65x
Wheathampstead 11 269.61x
Millbrook 10 37.82x
Minster In Thanet 10 274.73x
Tilehurst 10 128.70x
West Ham 10 4.48x
Brenenden 9 400.00x
Kensington London 9 3.16x
Denham 8 361.99x
Barton Stacey 7 721.65x
East Hagbourn 7 760.87x
Holme 7 1489.36x
Islington London 7 1.41x
St Pancras London 7 1.70x
Studland 7 654.21x
Deptford St Paul 6 4.45x
Eaton Bray 6 223.88x
Hackney London 6 2.09x
Lambeth 6 1.34x
Liverpool 6 1.63x
Manea 6 292.68x
Ramsgate 6 21.04x
Rotherhithe 6 9.48x
Sevenoaks 6 42.34x
St Gluvias 6 184.62x
Elswick 5 8.22x
Friern Barnet 5 44.33x
Heworth 5 16.66x
Lawshall 5 357.14x
Leamington Priors 5 15.73x
Nottingham St Mary 5 2.80x
St Marylebone London 5 1.83x
Acton 4 13.32x
Andover 4 40.32x
Bermondsey 4 2.62x
Camberwell 4 1.22x
Chelsea London 4 2.59x
Penton Mewsey 4 800.00x
Stapleford 4 71.30x
Swansea Town 4 5.47x
Attleborough 3 75.38x
Bethnal Green London 3 1.35x
Birmingham 3 0.70x
Blackmore 3 300.00x
Bromley London 3 2.66x
Devizes St Mary 3 65.50x
Fulham London 3 4.04x
Manchester 3 1.10x
Poplar London 3 3.10x
Portsea 3 1.46x
Portslade 3 56.82x
Upton Cum Chalvey 3 24.31x
Waltham Holy Cross 3 31.75x
Willesden 3 6.22x
Beckenham 2 8.76x
Brightside Bierlow 2 2.01x
Clerkenwell London 2 1.65x
Colkirk 2 263.16x
Devizes St James 2 33.22x
Earley 2 31.25x
Great Saling 2 327.87x
Hayes 2 38.24x
Leominster 2 71.94x
Lewisham 2 2.15x
Oxford St Thomas 2 13.55x
Romsey Extra 2 32.05x
Shalfleet 2 99.01x
Shrewton 2 168.07x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 1.94x
St George Bloomsbury 2 6.81x
Sunderland 2 7.43x
Tottenham 2 2.45x
Tynemouth 2 4.90x
West Bromwich 2 2.02x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Rolf surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 34
Elizabeth 22
Sarah 15
Ellen 14
Emma 11
Eliza 10
Ann 9
Hannah 9
Jane 9
Caroline 6
Emily 6
Harriet 5
Minnie 5
Alice 4
Anne 4
Annie 4
Margaret 4
Maria 4
Fanny 3
Louisa 3
Lucy 3
Selina 3
Sophia 3
Susan 3
Agnes 2
Amelia 2
Esther 2
Henrietta 2
Isabella 2
Kate 2
Katherine 2
Kezia 2
Lydia 2
Martha 2
Olive 2
Agness 1
Amy 1
Bessie 1
Brenda 1
Cari 1
Daisy 1
E. 1
Eleanor 1
Elenor 1
Ester 1
Harriett 1
Helen 1
Jessie 1
Kenzia 1
Verona 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Rolf surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 36
Thomas 25
John 22
Henry 16
George 15
James 14
Charles 11
Robert 11
Joseph 9
Alfred 8
Arthur 7
Frederick 7
Albert 6
Richard 4
Edward 3
Ernest 3
Frank 3
David 2
Fred 2
Geo. 2
Harry 2
Herbert 2
Samuel 2
Sidders 2
Uria 2
Walter 2
Annie 1
Annis 1
Aurthur 1
Benjamin 1
Chas. 1
Christopher 1
Daniel 1
Edwin 1
Eric 1
Ezra 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Fredrick 1
Jacob 1
Jasper 1
Jeremiah 1
Jesse 1
Obed 1
Percy 1
Peter 1
Phillip 1
Robt 1
Rowland 1
Wm.E. 1

FAQ

Rolf surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rolf surname in 1881?

In 1881, 539 people were recorded with the Rolf surname. That placed it at #6,395 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rolf surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 472 in 2016. That gives Rolf a modern rank of #10,433.

What does the Rolf surname mean?

A Germanic nickname derived from the Old Norse "Hrólfr," meaning "wolf" or "famous wolf."

What does the Rolf map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Rolf bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.