Oland
A Scandinavian name derived from the Old Norse elements Anlauðr meaning "the one preceding".
Name Census estimates that about 45 living Americans carry the first name Oland. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Oland today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oland births was 1919 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oland. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Oland is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Olands were born before 1952.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Oland. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
45
~ 1 in 7,616,763 Americans
Peak year
1919
16 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1957 SSA rank
#3,861
Tracked since 1907
Census
Oland in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 137 people with the first name Oland, which placed it at #47,543 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#47,543
National first-name rank
People counted
137
137 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oland
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oland is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Oland 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Oland at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.6% · 94
- Black or African American21.2% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.6% · 5
- Two or more races2.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 2
Popularity
Oland: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oland from the 1900s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 81 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
Oland 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 Oland during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oland
The name Oland is a variation of the Old Norse name Ólafr, which is derived from the elements "anu" meaning "ancestor" and "laf" meaning "descendant" or "heir." It is believed to have originated in Scandinavia during the Viking era, around the 8th to 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which are a collection of historical narratives that date back to the 13th century. The name Ólafr appears frequently in these texts, often referring to prominent individuals from that time period.
In the realm of religious history, the name Oland is associated with Saint Olaf, also known as Olav the Stout, who was a Norwegian king and Christian martyr from the 11th century. He played a significant role in the Christianization of Norway and is revered as the patron saint of the country.
One of the most famous historical figures with this name is Olaf I Trygvasson, a Norwegian king who ruled from 995 to 1000 AD. He was instrumental in introducing Christianity to Norway and is celebrated for his military victories against the Danish and Swedish rulers of his time.
Another notable figure is Olaf II Haraldsson, also known as Saint Olaf, who was the King of Norway from 1015 to 1028 AD. He is remembered for his efforts in consolidating and strengthening the Norwegian kingdom, as well as his role in promoting Christianity throughout the region.
In the literary realm, the name Oland is associated with the character Olaf from the popular Disney animated film "Frozen." This lovable snowman became a cultural icon and contributed to the renewed popularity of the name in recent times.
Other historical figures bearing the name Oland include Olaf Skötkonung, a 10th-century Swedish king who played a crucial role in the consolidation of the Swedish monarchy, and Olaf Kyrre, a Norwegian king from the 11th century known for his wisdom and just rule.
It is worth noting that while the name Oland has its roots in Scandinavian history and culture, it has since been adopted and adapted in various parts of the world, with different spellings and variations emerging over time.
People
Oland + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oland 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
Oland: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oland?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 45 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oland 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 7,616,763 US residents.
Is Oland a common name?
We classify Oland as "Very Rare". It ranks above 52.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 274 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oland most popular?
The single biggest year for Oland was 1919, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oland is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Oland in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 137 people with the name Oland, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,543 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Oland in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Oland?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Oland appears almost entirely male. Of the 141 people counted with this name, 100.0% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Oland?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Oland is White at 68.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Oland most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Oland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (94 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Oland in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oland a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oland 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.
Is Oland still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oland in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Oland can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have Oland as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.