Olean
An English feminine name derived from the plant oleander.
Name Census estimates that about 100 living Americans carry the first name Olean. It is a predominantly female name (98.0% of registrations). The average person named Olean today is around 84 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olean births was 1926 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olean. 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 Olean is about 84 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Oleans were born before 1952.
People living today
100
~ 1 in 3,427,543 Americans
Peak year
1926
39 babies that year
Average age
84
years old
1931 SSA rank
#4,171
Tracked since 1900
Gender
Gender distribution for Olean
Olean leans heavily female at 98.0% of total registrations, but 17 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Olean as a male name
- Ranked #4,171 in 1931
- 5 male births in 1931
- Peak: 1926 (7 births)
Olean as a female name
- Ranked #7,335 in 1963
- 5 female births in 1963
- Peak: 1921 (36 births)
Popularity
Olean: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olean from the 1900s through to the 1960s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 313 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olean 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 Olean during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Oleans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Alabama, Texas, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Olean, while Mississippi, Kentucky, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Olean
The name Olean has its origins in the ancient Greek language and culture, originating around the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "olea," which means "olive tree." The olive tree held immense significance in ancient Greek society, symbolizing peace, wisdom, and prosperity.
In ancient Greek mythology, the olive tree played a crucial role in the founding of Athens. According to legend, the goddess Athena and Poseidon engaged in a contest to become the patron deity of the city. Athena gifted the Athenians an olive tree, representing peace and sustenance, while Poseidon offered a salt-water spring. The Athenians chose Athena's gift, and the city was named after her.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Olean can be found in ancient Greek texts and historical records from the 5th century BC onwards. One notable figure bearing this name was Olean of Samos, a renowned architect who lived in the 6th century BC and is credited with designing the Temple of Hera on the island of Samos.
During the Byzantine era, the name Olean gained popularity among Greek Christians. It was often associated with the concept of peace and harmony, reflecting the symbolism of the olive tree in Greek culture. In the 9th century AD, Olean of Constantinople became a notable figure as a scholar and theologian, contributing to the intellectual discourse of the time.
Another noteworthy individual with the name Olean was Olean of Tyre, a 12th-century crusader and military leader who participated in the Third Crusade. He gained recognition for his bravery and strategic prowess during the siege of Acre in 1191.
In the 15th century, Olean Palaiologos, a member of the Byzantine imperial family, played a significant role in the cultural and intellectual life of the era. She was a patron of the arts and supported the preservation of ancient Greek texts and literature during the decline of the Byzantine Empire.
The name Olean also found its way into the literary realm, with Olean being a character in the ancient Greek play "The Bacchae" by Euripides, written in the 5th century BC. This play explored themes of freedom, obedience, and the power of the gods, reflecting the cultural and philosophical context of ancient Greece.
People
Olean + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olean 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
Olean: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olean?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 100 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olean 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 3,427,543 US residents.
Is Olean a common name?
We classify Olean as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 870 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olean most popular?
The single biggest year for Olean was 1926, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olean is about 84 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Olean a female name?
Yes, 98.0% of people registered as Olean in the SSA data are female. 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.