2000
#136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163,502
First available Census row
Per 100,000 60.61
Common Last name
Olson
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of Olaf" or "descendant of the ancestral name Ólafr."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 179,200 Americans carry the last name Olson. That puts it at #166 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 52.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,913 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Olson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
179K
1 in 1,913
Census rank
#166
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
52.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
156K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 156,271 bearers of the surname Olson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 52.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 166th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olson
The surname Olson originated in Scandinavia and is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Ole". Ole was a common Scandinavian given name derived from the Old Norse name Áleifr, which was composed of the elements ál (meaning "ancestor") and eifr (meaning "ever" or "descendent").
This name has its roots in the Norse tradition of using patronymic surnames, where the son would take his father's given name and add the suffix "-son" to indicate their relationship. The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to medieval Sweden and Norway.
In Norway, the Olson surname can be found in historical records dating back to the 13th century. One notable example is the mention of Olaf Olson in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of medieval Icelandic literature that dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries.
In Sweden, the Olson surname is also well-documented in historical records. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Olof Olson, a Swedish farmer who lived in the village of Stora Tuna in the province of Dalarna in the late 15th century.
As the Scandinavian diaspora spread across the world, the Olson surname traveled with them. One famous bearer of this name was Ole Olson, a Norwegian-American sailor and whaler who lived from 1823 to 1899. He is known for being one of the first Norwegians to settle in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
Another notable figure with the Olson surname was Culbert Olson, an American politician who served as the 29th Governor of California from 1939 to 1943. He was born in 1876 in Kingsburg, California, and played a significant role in the state's political landscape during the mid-20th century.
In literature, the Olson surname is associated with the American poet and essayist Charles Olson, who was born in 1910 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was a prominent figure in the Black Mountain College literary movement and is considered a major influence on the development of Projective Verse, a poetic form that emphasizes open composition.
While the Olson surname has its roots in Scandinavia, it has since become a widespread name found in many parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant Scandinavian immigrant populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olson
Among Census respondents with the surname Olson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Olson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Olson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 143,861
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 4,795
- Two or more races3.0% · 4,758
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,264
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,076
- Black or African American0.3% · 517
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olson
Olson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 164,035
+533 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 55.61
Rank movement Down 21 places
2020
#166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 156,271
-7,764 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 52.28
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136 | 163,502 | 60.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157 | 164,035 | 55.61 | +533 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 21 places |
| 2020 | #166 | 156,271 | 52.28 | -7,764 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 9 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Olson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #157 | #166 | -5.7% |
| Count | 164,035 | 156,271 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 55.61 | 52.28 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olson bearers went from 164,035 to 156,271 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #157 to #166.
FAQ
Olson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olson?
Name Census estimates that about 179,200 living Americans carry the surname Olson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,913 residents.
How common is Olson?
Olson ranks #166 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 52.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 52 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 156,271 people with the surname Olson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (179,200), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 52.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 52.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 52 of them to have the surname Olson.
Has Olson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olson went from 164,035 recorded bearers to 156,271. That is a decrease of 7,764 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #157 to #166.
What does the Census say about the background of Olson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Olson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (143,861 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Olson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Olson mean?
A patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin meaning "son of Olaf" or "descendant of the ancestral name Ólafr." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Olson (52.28 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Olson?
Find out how many people are called Olson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.