Olaf
A Scandinavian male name meaning "prosperous ruler" or "ancestor's relic".
Name Census estimates that about 997 living Americans carry the first name Olaf. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Olaf today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olaf births was 1916 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olaf. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
997
~ 1 in 343,786 Americans
Peak year
1916
79 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,645
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Olaf: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olaf from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 501 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olaf by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Olaf during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Olafs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Minnesota, North Dakota, New York recorded the most babies named Olaf, while Washington, Montana, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 45 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Olaf
The given name Olaf is of Scandinavian origin, derived from the Old Norse name Áleifr. It is composed of the elements anu, meaning "ancestor," and leifr, meaning "descendant" or "heir." The name was popular among the ancient Norse and Vikings, reflecting their belief in honoring their ancestral heritage.
Olaf was a common name among Scandinavian royalty and nobility during the Viking Age (793-1066 AD). One of the earliest recorded uses of the name was Olaf Tryggvason (963-1000), a Norwegian king who played a significant role in the Christianization of Norway. He is celebrated in Icelandic sagas and is considered a renowned Viking warrior and explorer.
Another notable figure was Olaf II Haraldsson (995-1030), also known as St. Olaf or Olaf the Stout. He was a Norwegian king who consolidated and strengthened the Christian faith in Norway. His efforts to establish Christianity in the region led to his martyrdom, and he became the patron saint of Norway.
During the Middle Ages, the name Olaf gained popularity across Europe, particularly in areas influenced by Scandinavian culture. One of the most famous bearers was Olaf the Holy (c. 1050-1095), a Norwegian king and saint who played a crucial role in the Norwegian civil wars and the conversion of the country to Christianity.
In the 12th century, Olaf Hvitaskald (c. 1150-1210) was a renowned Icelandic skald (poet) and chieftain. His poetic works, particularly the Óláfsdrápa, were widely celebrated and contributed to the preservation of Old Norse literary traditions.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Olaf Rye (1791-1849) was a Norwegian lawyer and politician who served as the first Prime Minister of Norway after the dissolution of the union with Sweden in 1905.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who bore the name Olaf throughout history, reflecting its enduring legacy and cultural significance in Scandinavian and European societies.
People
Olaf + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olaf as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Olaf: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olaf?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 997 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olaf going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 343,786 US residents.
Is Olaf a common name?
We classify Olaf as "Very Rare". It ranks above 90.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,525 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olaf most popular?
The single biggest year for Olaf was 1916, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olaf is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Olaf a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Olaf in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.