Rudy

Rudy is the short form of Rudolf, a name given to the English from the German “Hrōdwulf” made up of the Germanic elements “hrod” meaning “fame” and “wulf” meaning “wolf”. Therefore the name Rudolf means “wolf of renowned” or “famous wolf”. As a diminutive of Rudolf, Rudy would henceforth mean “little famous wolf”. Rudolf was an important name in medieval Germany having been associated with the Hapsburg dynasty starting with the 13th century Rudolf von Habsburg, the first Hapsburg King of the Germans, to the 19th century Archduke Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria-Hungary and heir to the Emperorship. So the powerful European Hapsburg monarchy basically started and ended with a Rudolf. This is because the Prince never assumed the Emperor role for which he had been groomed his whole life. Instead, at the age of 30, Rudolf died under mysterious circumstances in an apparent murder-suicide pact with his 17 year old mistress (an event which made international headlines). Because Rudolf’s father, Emperor Franz Joseph I, only had one son (i.e., Prince Rudolf), the next in line to the throne was the Emperor’s brother who renounced his succession which passed on to his own son, Archduke Franz Ferdinand (Rudolf’s cousin). Franz Ferdinand’s assassination in 1914 would set in motion World War I and, as they say, the rest is Hapsburg history. Among English-speakers specifically, though, Rudolf was a name made popular in the late 19th century by an 1894 adventure novel written by Anthony Hope called “The Prisoner of Zenda” which features a central character named Rudolf (see literary references below for more information). Adding more currency to the name was early 20th century silent-film star and “Latin Lover” Rudolph Valentino (born Rodolfo in Italy) and Italian-American NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani (b. Rudolph). Rodolfo is the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese equivalent. Rudy is the English diminutive or pet form of Rudolf/Rudolph/Rodolfo.