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Adolph History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Adolph History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The surname Adolph is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It is derived from the Old German personal name Adalwuf, which is composed of the elements "adal," meaning "noble," and "wulf," meaning "wolf."

Early Origins of the Adolph family

The surname Adolph was first found in Kent, where the Adolph family was anciently seated as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. However, many Saxon surnames survived, and the family name Adolph was first referenced in the 13th century when the family held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Adolph family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Adolph research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Adolph History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Adolph Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Adolph has been recorded under many different variations, including Edolphe, Edolph, Edolp, Adolphe, Adolph, Adolf, Edolf, Edulf, Adulf and many more.

Early Notables of the Adolph family

More information is included under the topic Early Adolph Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Adolph Ranking

In the United States, the name Adolph is the 16,658^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Adolph migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Adolph or a variant listed above:

Adolph Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Dirck Adolph, who arrived in New York, NY in 1693 2

Adolph Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Adolph, aged 19, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 2
John Adolph, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 2
Christoph Adolph, who arrived in America in 1783 2

Adolph Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Adolph, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1833 2
Miss Margaretha Adolph, (nee Schaefer), from Germany who arrived in Galveston, Texas aboard the ship "Ferdinand" in 1844
Henry Adolph, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1852 2
Anton Adolph, who arrived in New York, NY in 1852
George Adolph, who arrived in Iowa in 1885 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Adolph Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Farny Adolph, who landed in Colorado in 1903 2

Adolph migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Adolph Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Heinrich Adolph, aged 31, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 3
Emma Adolph, aged 29, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 3
Gustav Adolph, aged 38, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 3
Charlotte Adolph, aged 40, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 3
Reinhold Adolph, aged 18, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Adolph (post 1700) +

Dave Adolph (1937-2017), American football coach for the Cleveland Browns from 1986 to 1988
Emma Adolph, American Republican politician, Member of Missouri Republican State Committee, 1967 4
Walter Adolph, German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 29 aerial victories, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Homer Adolph Plessy (1863-1925), American shoemaker and activist, who was the losing plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson which coined the phrase "equal but separate"
Berthold Adolph Benecke (1843-1886), German anatomist and embryologist
Frederick Adolph Brinkman (1892-1961), American architect. His extant works in and around Kalispell have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Anderson Style Shop, Charles Boles House, Brice Apartments, City Water Department, Cornelius Hedges Elementary School, Russell School, Linderman School, the Montgomery Ward Store in Kalispell, and the O'Neil Print Shop
Oscar Adolph Swenson (1877-1951), American Republican politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives, 1913-28 (20th District 1913-14, 15th District 1915-28); Speaker of the Minnesota State House of Representatives, 1931
Joseph Adolph Sonnabend (1933-2021), Afrikaans physician, scientist and HIV/AIDS researcher
Paul Adolph Volcker Jr. (1927-2019), American economist, Chairman of the Federal Reserve under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan (1979 to 1987)
Adrian Adolph Greenburg (1903-1959), American costume designer, known for his costumes were for The Wizard of Oz including the film's red-sequined ruby slippers for Judy Garland and other Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films of the 1930s and 1940s

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html