Olee
A Scandinavian masculine name meaning "prosperous protector."
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Olee. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 56.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Olee today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olee births was 1920 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olee. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Olee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1920
9 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2021 SSA rank
#4,726
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Olee
Olee is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 65 total registrations, 28 (43.1%) were male and 37 (56.9%) were female.
Olee as a male name
- Ranked #13,543 in 2021
- 5 male births in 2021
- Peak: 1930 (7 births)
Olee as a female name
- Ranked #4,726 in 1935
- 5 female births in 1935
- Peak: 1920 (9 births)
Popularity
Olee: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olee from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 33 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
Olee 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 Olee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Olees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Olee
The name Olee finds its origins in the Scandinavian languages, specifically in Old Norse. It is derived from the Old Norse word "óli," which means "ancestor" or "forefather." The name was commonly used in ancient Norse societies, particularly among the Viking clans that inhabited the regions of modern-day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
In Norse mythology, the name Olee was associated with Odin, the supreme deity and the ruler of the Aesir gods. Odin was revered as the god of wisdom, war, poetry, and magic, and his name was often invoked in various rituals and ceremonies. The name Olee was likely a tribute to Odin, reflecting the importance of ancestry and lineage in Norse culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olee can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of historical narratives and literary works that date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas often mentioned characters with the name Olee, indicating its widespread use during that period.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Olee. One of the most famous was Olee Stigsson (c. 1210-1279), a Norwegian nobleman and military commander who played a crucial role in the Civil War era of Norway's history. His exploits and leadership during the conflicts of that time earned him a place in the annals of Norwegian history.
Another significant figure was Olee Hansson (1583-1651), a Swedish explorer and cartographer who is credited with mapping large portions of the Arctic regions. His detailed charts and navigational notes were invaluable for future expeditions and helped expand the knowledge of the northern territories.
In the realm of literature, Olee Krog (1838-1923) was a renowned Norwegian poet and playwright. His works, which often celebrated the beauty of his homeland and delved into themes of love, nature, and the human condition, earned him widespread acclaim and a place among the great Norwegian literary figures of the 19th century.
Olee Arneson (1879-1963), a Norwegian-American inventor and engineer, made significant contributions to the field of aviation. He is best known for his pioneering work on aircraft wing designs, which improved the efficiency and performance of early aircraft.
Lastly, Olee Johannessen (1910-1988) was a distinguished Norwegian anthropologist and ethnographer. His extensive fieldwork and studies on the indigenous cultures of the Arctic regions, particularly the Sami people, provided invaluable insights into their traditions, customs, and way of life.
These are just a few examples of the notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Olee, a name rooted in the rich cultural heritage of the Norse peoples and their reverence for ancestry and lineage.
People
Olee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olee 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
Olee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olee 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Olee a common name?
We classify Olee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 65 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olee most popular?
The single biggest year for Olee was 1920, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olee is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Olee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Olee a female name?
Yes, 56.9% of people registered as Olee 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.
Is Olee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Olee 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 Olee 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Olee?
See how many people have the name Olee on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.