Olav

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /olɑw/, [oˈlɑw], [oˈlɑwˀ]

Proper noun

Olav

1. a male given name, variant of Olaf

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse Óláfr, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚾᚢᛚᚨᛁᛒᚨᛉ (*anulaibaʀ). Name of an 11th century king, the patron saint of Norway. Cognate with English Olaf.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈuːlɑʋ/

Proper noun

Olav

1. a male given name

Usage notes

• Traditionally one of the most common names in Norway, also in the forms Ola and Ole.

Derived terms

• (male given names): Ola, Olaf, Ole, Oliver, Leif, Leiv
• (feminine forms): Olaug
• (surnames): Olafsen, Olaussen, Olsen, Olufsen

References

• Kristoffer Kruken – Ola Stemshaug: Norsk personnamnleksikon, Det Norske Samlaget, Oslo 1995, →ISBN
• [1] Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 15 774 males with the given name Olav living in Norway on January 1st 2011, with the frequency peak in the 1900s decade. Accessed on April 29th, 2011.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• Olaf (learned borrowing from Ólafr)
• Ola (pronunciation spelling)
• Òlav’e (dialectal, Setesdal)

Etymology

From Old Norse Óláfr, from Proto-Norse *ᚨᚾᚢᛚᚨᛁᛒᚨᛉ (*anulaibaʀ), from Proto-Germanic *Anulaibaz. Doublet of Oleiv and Olåv.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²uːla(v)/, [²u̞ː.lɐ̞(ʋ)], [²u̞ː.ɽɐ̞(ʋ)]
• (newer, from written form) IPA^(key): /¹uːlav/, [¹u̞ːˌlɐ̞ˑʋ]
• (Setesdal) IPA^(key): /²oːlaːv/, [²oɐː.lɐ̞ːʋ]
• (Midland) IPA^(key): /²uːɽa/, [²oː.ɽɐ̞]

Proper noun

Olav m (definite Olaven)

1. a male given name from Old Norse
   • 1848, Ludv. M. Lindeman, “Guten og Gjenta paa Fjøshjellen”, in Norske Viser og Stev i Folkesproget, page 30:

     Gjenta svarad’. / Olav! Kvarfor kom du intkje før paa Kvelden? / Længje eg paa deg har liggjid stonda;

     The girl answered. / Olav! Why didn’t you come earlier in the evening? / For a long time have I have lied here waiting for you;

   • 1856, Ivar Aasen, Norske Ordsprog [Norwegian Idioms], page 239:

     Dat verd, naar han Sant-Olav kjem atter nordantil.

     It will be when Saint Olaf comes up north again. [i.e. it will never happen.]

   • 1862, Eirik M. Torvaldsson Sommer, Noregs Saga i Stuttmaal, elder Fortelning um dei største Tilburdarne med Nordmennerne og deira Tilstand i Noreg gjenom Forntidi til vaare Dagar:

     Ein Son etter Ingjald var Olav, han flydde med myket Folk vest etter til Skogen immillom Noreg og Sverike, der rudde han Skogen med Øks og Eld og bygde Landet;

     A son after Ingjald was Olav, he went with lots of people west to the forest between Norway and Sweden, where he cleared the forest with axe and fire and build the land;

   • 1882, Steinar Schjøtt, Norigs Soga: Til Heimelesning og Bruk fyr Lærarar, page 40:

     Denne Kongssonen var Olav, son til Kong Tryggve Olavsson og Sonesons Son hans Harald Haarfagre.

     This prince was Olaf, son of king Tryggvi Olafsson and great grandson of Harald Fairhair.

   • 2001, Toro (commercial; television):

     Olav, du må vakne; indianarane kjem.

     Olav, wake up; the Native Americans are coming.

Usage notes

• Traditionally one of the most common names in Norway, also in the forms Ola and Ole. Also the name of the 11th-century king and patron saint of Norway, Heilag-Olav (“Saint Olaf”).

Patronymics:

• son of Olav: Olavsson, Olsson
• daughter of Olav: Olavsdotter, Olsdotter

Derived terms

• (prefix): olavs-, ols-
• (male given names): Ola, Ole
• (feminine forms): Olaug
• (surnames): Olafsen, Olaussen, Olsen, Olufsen

Related terms

• Oliver
• Leiv, Leif
• Eilav, Eileiv

References

• Ivar Aasen (1878) Norsk Navnebog, eller Samling af Mandsnavne og Kvindenavne‎^[2] (in Norwegian Nynorsk), →ISBN, page 30
• Eivind Vågslid (1988) “Olav”, in Norderlendske fyrenamn (in Norwegian Nynorsk), →ISBN
• Kristoffer Kruken, Ola Stemshaug (1995) Norsk personnamnleksikon, Oslo: Det Norske Samlaget, →ISBN
• Statistisk sentralbyrå, Namnestatistikk: 14 853 males with the given name Olav living in Norway on January 1st 2024, with the frequency peak in the 1900s decade. Accessed on 30th July, 2024.