Awoooooo!
Some of my most popular blog posts are the one about Russian surnames and Swedish surnames. This one is a bit different as it isn’t about suffixes but an etymological link with the word “wolf”.
Here’s the list.
Farkas (Hungary)
Literally means “wolf” in Hungarian
Athletes:
- Andrea Farkas, former Hungarian international team handball goalkeeper and two-time Olympic medalist.
- Andy Farkas, former Washington and Detroit Lions fullback and one of only 13 NFL players to have caught a 99-yard pass
- Balázs Farkas, Hungarian soccer player with 3 international caps and 4 domestic titles with Dynamo Kyiv
Lobo (Spain and Portugal)
Literally means “wolf” in Spanish and Portuguese
Athletes:
- Cavin Lobo, Indian soccer player for Punjab FC, capped 15 times for India
- Almiro Lobo (Miró), former Mozambican soccer player, capped 79 times for Mozambique
- Luis Lobo, former Argentinian ATP tennis player, reached three grand slam men’s doubles quarter-finals but notably lost in the 1998 French Open mixed doubles final with Serena Williams to Venus Williams and scumbag Justin Gimelstob
- Nahuel Lobo, Argentinian rugby union prop, capped 10 times for Argentina
- Rogério Lobo, former Brazilian boxer who tragically died in an armed robbery in 2006.
Lowell (England)
From a nickname derived from a Norman French lou meaning “wolf” and a diminutive suffix.
Athletes:
- Mike Lowell, former MLB player, 2-time World Series winner and MVP of the 2007 World Series with the Boston Red Sox.
- Rupe Lowell, former Australian rules footballer
- Eric Lowell, former English soccer player who played for Derby County and Stoke City
Lopes (Portugal)
Derives from the Latin “lupus” meaning “wolf”
Athletes:
- Davey Lopes, former MLB player and manager, played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, and Houston Astros, and managed the Milwaukee Brewers. Won 2 World Series a player and coach in 1981 and 2008.
- Marcelo Gonçalves Costa Lopes (Gonçalves), former Brazilian soccer player, won the Copa América with Brazil in 1997, as well as the Confederations Cup that year. Also featured at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
- Brian Lopes, American professional mountain bike racer, winner of 18 national and world titles
- Wagner Lopes, Brazilian-born Japanese former soccer player, capped 20 times for Japan, played in the 1998 FIFA World Cup and got an assist against Jamaica
Lupu (Romania)
From Romanian lup meaning “wolf”
Athletes:
- Dănuț Lupu, former Romanian soccer player, won 14 caps for Romania and played at the 1990 FIFA World Cup
- Robert Lupu, former Romanian interational futsal player
- Joan Lupu, former Romanian super featherweight boxer
- Gheorghe Lupu, former Romanian tennis player who competed in the men’s singles and doubles events at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris
Otxoa/Ochoa (Basque/Spain)
From Basque otso meaning “wolf”
Athletes:
- Javier Otxoa, Spanish cyclist who competed at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympic Games
- Ricardo Otxoa (Javier’s brother) was also a cyclist but was killed in a car accident in 2001. Javier was in the same accident and was in a coma for a month.
- Gabriel Ochoa Uribe, former Colombian soccer player and manager who won four league titles and the Copa Colombia with Millonarios as a player and fourteen league titles as a manager. He managed the national team twice, in 1963 and 1985.
- Lorena Ochoa Reyes, former Mexican LPGA golfer and world #1 and one of the best Mexican and Latin American golfers of all time. She was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.
- Blanca Fernández Ochoa, Spanish alpine skier who competed in four Winter Olympics, between 1980–1992 (bronze medalist in Albertville). She died by suicide in 2019.
Vlček (Czech Republic)
Diminutive form of Czech vlk meaning “wolf”
Athletes:
- Erik Vlček, former Slovak sprint canoer who won three Olympics medals in the K-4 1000 m event (silver in 2008 and 2016, and bronze in 2004).
- Jiří Vlček, Italian rower and 7-time World Championship medalist (3 golds, 3 silvers, and a bronze)
- Petr Vlček, former Czech soccer player who played for Slavia Prague, Standard Liège, and Panionios. He featured for the Czech Republic 18 times and was named in the 1997 Confederations Cup and Euro 2000 squads.
Volkov/a (Russia)
Derived from Russian волк (volk) meaning “wolf”
Athletes:
- Dmitry Volkov, Russian volleyball player and winner of 4 youth national team titles
- Dmitry Volkov, Russia swimmer and 2-time Olympic medalist
- Vera Volkova, former Russian ballet dancer and teacher
- Vladimir Volkov, Montenegrin soccer player with 17 international caps and 8 domestic titles in Moldova and Serbia
Wolf (Germany)
From Middle High German or Middle English wolf meaning “wolf”, unsurprisingly
Athletes:
- Christi Wolf, aka Asya during her stint as a wrestler in WCW
- Diego Wolf, former German-born Argentinian water polo player who competed at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome
- Jenny Wolf, former German speed skater, Olympic silver medalist (Vancouver 2010), and former world record holder in the women’s 500m
- Wally Wolf, former American swimmer, water polo player, and Olympic champion
- Wolfgang Wolf, German soccer coach, formerly of Stuttgarter Kickers, VfL Wolfsburg (lol), FC Nürnberg, and FC Kaiserslautern amongst others