Ingolf
A masculine name of Old Norse origin meaning "descended from the god Ing".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Ingolf. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ingolf today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ingolf births was 1916 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ingolf. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ingolf. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
7 babies that year
Average age
-
1921 SSA rank
#4,648
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Ingolf: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ingolf from the 1910s through to the 1920s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Ingolf remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ingolf by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ingolf during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ingolf
The name Ingolf has its origins in Old Norse, stemming from the Nordic regions of Europe. It is derived from the combination of two Old Norse words, "Ing" and "ulfr," which translate to "Ing" (a mythological deity) and "wolf," respectively. This name was prevalent among the ancient Norse people, particularly during the Viking Age, spanning from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries.
Ingolf's roots can be traced back to the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems that reference the mythological figure Ing, who was revered as a god of fertility and prosperity. The wolf was a significant symbol in Norse culture, representing strength, cunning, and loyalty, further enhancing the name's significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ingolf can be found in the Icelandic Landnámabók (Book of Settlements), which chronicles the settlement of Iceland by Norse explorers in the 9th century. According to this historical record, Ingolf Arnarson, a chieftain from Norway, is credited as the first permanent settler of Iceland around 874 AD.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ingolf. In the 11th century, Ingolf of Vallon was a prominent Norman monk and hagiographer who wrote the biography of William Firmatus, a revered abbot of the Benedictine order. Another individual of significance was Ingolf Torstensson (1711-1787), a Swedish military officer who served as the Governor-General of Swedish Pomerania during the mid-18th century.
In the realm of literature, Ingolf Olsen (1864-1943) was a Norwegian writer and poet known for his works that celebrated rural life and the natural beauty of his homeland. Additionally, Ingolf Dahl (1912-1970) was a renowned Swedish sculptor whose abstract and modernist works gained international recognition.
The name Ingolf also had a presence in the world of sports. Ingolf Lüschen (1927-2004) was a German sociologist who made significant contributions to the study of sports and its sociological implications, while Ingolf Stadelmann (born 1969) is a former German professional tennis player who achieved notable success on the ATP Tour.
These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the name Ingolf throughout history, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and professions.
People
Ingolf + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ingolf as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ingolf: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ingolf?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ingolf going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Ingolf a common name?
We classify Ingolf as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ingolf most popular?
The single biggest year for Ingolf was 1916, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ingolf is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ingolf in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ingolf a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ingolf in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ingolf still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ingolf in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ingolf can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Ingolf?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Ingolf on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.