Wolf

Wolf can be a direct animal name or a short form of Germanic names containing the wolf element, such as Wolfgang and Wolfram. Those longer names add their own second elements, so Wolf by itself means the animal rather than the full phrase traveling wolf. It also has an established place in German and Jewish naming traditions.

Journalist Wolf Blitzer and painter Wolf Kahn are recognizable bearers, while Jack London used Wolf Larsen for the captain in The Sea-Wolf. German pronunciation begins with a v-like sound, unlike the ordinary English animal word. Wolfie is a familiar affectionate form. The name therefore combines an immediate nature association with historical personal-name use and a range of artistic and literary connections.