Origin of the name Wolf

The surname Wolf (Wolff, Volf, Vulf) came from the name Volf that existed long before Jews were given family names.

In the Jewish tradition the name is associated with the name of Benjamin (son of Jacob) who was compared in the Bible with a wolf. This name was extremely widespread among the Ashkenazi Jews. In contrast to the German family names Wolf and Wolff, it is written as Volf or Vulf.

The Jewish last name Wold occurred often in such towns as Belsk, Grodno, Riga, Mogilev, Slonim, Shavli and others.