Do you think the name 'Adolf' was terminally knackered by Hitler?

Question

Although this name was never widespread in the Anglophone world, it (or variants such as Adolphe, Adolfo etc) was once popular in most of western Europe.

With the exceptions of Sweden, and the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking nations, however, it is now a functionally extinct name, with very few people having been christened 'Adolf' since 1945, for obvious reasons.

Do you think it will ever re-emerge, or did Hitler effectively end it forever? I know if I came across a child named Adolf, my first assumption (assuming he didn't come from one of the countries I mentioned above) would be that the parents were being deliberately provocative, and were paying tribute to a genocidal mid-twentieth century tyrant...

nightdrot · Accepted Answer

Shortest answer I have ever written in response to one of your questions.

In brief - Well, it probably didn't help.

So, just to check, I asked my boys, ages 9 and 8, if either of them wanted to be renamed "Adolf." Neither of them seemed to keen on it, but neither of them mentioned Hitler either. Eh, so maybe I'm wrong.

OlderAndWiser · Accepted Answer

This is the only use of the name Adolph of which I am aware:

Lloyd E. Rigler and Lawrence E. Deutsch became partners in a food brokering business in the mid-1940s. They bought the recipe and the name Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer in 1948 after discovering the seasoning in a Santa Barbara restaurant owned by Adolph Remp.

linds34 · Accepted Answer

I would guess in a few hundred years, it could come back. Like someone could be named Oliver or Ivan today without thinking immediately of tyrants from a few hundred years ago.

sapphireruby · Accepted Answer

I think Hitler forever killed the name adolf and his iconic mustache style too XD

ThisDudeHere · Answer

The same way that the meaning of the Swastika has been forever changed, the same happened with Adolf. It is what it is.

Aguysopinion4799 · Answer

Yes, I reckon no-one (Or at least VERY few) would want to name their child Adolf now. I mean, the name is linked with a terrible person, which is kind of bad to know it is making no-one want to use the name...

But you still have people calling children

Bill- Bad person called bill? Bill Cosby?
Ted- Hmm... Ted Bundy?
Achmed- Very common name in foreign countries, also the name of a dead terrorist.
Henry- Henry the 8th (Wasn't really the best guy...)

But my point is, there are a lot of names linked with bad people yet we call our children these names, so naming a child adolf seems like it will become possibly more common a couple years later.

ToastyTimothy1828 · Answer

There will be assumptions that people are deliberately being provocative by naming their child "Adolf", with many people christening that name deciding to change their name once the atrocities of the Holocaust became known (the name was once relatively popular for male children in the roughly 20 to 30 years prior to 1933 if I'm not mistaken). Because of the baggage that is now associated with the name, namely 6 million Jewish casualties and another 5 million non-Jewish deaths during the Holocaust, it is unlikely the name will reemerge anytime soon.

Testaccount65754 · Answer

Kind of, I think the reason it got knackered was because it wasn't popular in English speaking countries in the first place. The name Joseph wasn't thrown away because of Stalin for example because it's a popular and well known name.

Like you said, it's still kind of common in places like Sweden where it was common.

pasi02 · Answer

He definitely tainted the name. In Germany you have to have a plausible reason to name your child Adolf, otherwise you aren't allowed to name it that. Only after excessive background checks you can name it Adolf. If the child is going to be bullied/disadvantaged for their name is a question the parents have to deal with and if they want their child to go through that

MarkRet · Answer

Probably for now, but after a few more generations it could re-emerge. Any boy being named Adolf now would probably get a lot of teasing by other kids. By the way, no king of England is ever named John, because back in medieval times King John was a tyrant and jerk.

wankiam · Answer

i was watching a malaysian comedian the other night... he was saying how since the British coloialists left in the late 50s they still tend to use English first names but they hark back to the 50s still so his name was kevin and his brother is gary. now he lives in the uk he finds peole laugh at his name because its so out of date for a young man such as himself

MrHopper · Answer

I think it's dead at least until after our generation. It's still very fresh and when we were both l born it was only our current life time before when it all happened... so it's relatively still recent.. I say 200 years time it will be back... Unless it goes the way of Judas

Dargil · Answer

No I don't. There's this. Spelling is a little different but its the same name. Joseph wasn't by Stalin or Vladimir by Lenin, etc.

KillianK · Answer

There have been other people with that name, some who I've actually met, who've had that name and were generally ok people. In fact, (as it relates to my being a cadet) the father of modern artillery was named "Adolphus." But, as usual, one guy messed it up for all of us.

SirRexington · Answer

Technically his parents are to blame. They named him. Imagine if they named him Carl or Timothy. You think it would have had the same effect?

markscott · Answer

Adolph used to be a very common name in Germany and Austria. That is, until the end of world war two. Now, people are rarely named Adolph, though it's more often used as a middle name, in reference to an old relative.

Isten · Answer

Well, I don't think it will be popular ever again. Even after hounderds of years when people won't rememeber Hitler anymore, the name won't be used simply because no one will know about the existence of such a name.

frostwalrus · Answer

The stigma will last at least as long as the Jewish dominated neo-liberal American empire lasts. And though that empire is in a decline, it could limp on for another hundred years. You can definitely bank on it and every other social stigma created by dumb, blundering, emotion-driven humans ending with the take-over of A. I. and bio-engineered alternative intelligent life, which isn't far off either (that is something I'm definitely excited about given the current state of Europeans).

WhiteSteve · Answer

This pretty much covers it lmao

aicarg · Answer

I'm certain that name has vanished and will reduce to exist as many have changed their name after and those with the name are in their elderly or have passed... it's going extinct.

AlexanderBrunnrgaard · Answer

It's just a name. It does not belong to him nor did any of his actions tie themselves to the name. Shall we stop wearing suits or mustaches as well? Hitler liked children. Let's hate children. Hitler once pet a dog, etc. etc.

shimmeryns · Answer

Like the name swole too...

JustRollTheDice · Answer

Oh for sure, same way you can't say Bic without thinking of the pen, that name will forever involve thoughts of someone who sanctioned mass genocide

DeeDeeDeVour · Answer

Kinda unfortunate to waste such as masculine name since I imagine it means wolf which represents something/someone powerful.

Do you think the name 'Adolf' was terminally knackered by Hitler?

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