Olen
A masculine Finnish name derived from the noun meaning "presence" or "essence".
Name Census estimates that about 2,954 living Americans carry the first name Olen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Olen today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olen births was 1922 (193 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olen. 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
3.0K
~ 1 in 116,031 Americans
Peak year
1922
193 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,895
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Olen
Out of the 7,645 babies given the name Olen since 1880, 99.8% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Olen as a male name
- Ranked #2,895 in 2024
- 44 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1922 (193 births)
Olen as a female name
- Ranked #4,337 in 1924
- 7 female births in 1924
- Peak: 1924 (7 births)
Popularity
Olen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olen from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,660 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
Olen 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 Olen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Olens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Olen, while Washington, Michigan, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 183 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Olen
The name Olen is believed to have originated from the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Germanic peoples of Scandinavia during the Viking Age, spanning from around the 8th to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "ölr," which means "elm tree" or "elm wood."
In ancient Norse mythology, the elm tree held significant symbolism and was revered for its strength and resilience. It was associated with concepts of endurance, protection, and fertility. The name Olen may have been bestowed upon individuals to imbue them with these qualities or to honor the sacred elm tree.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olen can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of literary works that document the lives and exploits of Scandinavian settlers and their descendants in Iceland. The Saga of Erik the Red, written in the 13th century, mentions a character named Olen Thorvaldsson, a prominent farmer and chieftain in Greenland.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Olen. In the 14th century, Olen Sivertsson was a Norwegian nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Norwegian-Swedish wars. Another prominent figure was Olen Bornemann, a Danish philosopher and writer who lived from 1579 to 1631 and made contributions to the fields of ethics and metaphysics.
During the 17th century, Olen Olofsson Tesch was a Swedish merchant and shipowner who established successful trading routes and played a vital role in the economic development of Sweden. In the 19th century, Olen Bull was a renowned Norwegian violinist and composer, known for his contributions to the Romantic era of music.
More recently, Olen Steinhauer, born in 1970, is an American writer and author of several acclaimed espionage novels, including the Milo Weaver series. His works have garnered critical acclaim and shed light on the complexities of international espionage and geopolitics.
While the name Olen may not be as common today, its historical roots and associations with strength, resilience, and reverence for nature continue to resonate, making it a unique and meaningful choice for those seeking a connection to their Nordic heritage or a symbolic representation of endurance and protection.
People
Olen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olen 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
Olen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,954 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olen 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 116,031 US residents.
Is Olen a common name?
We classify Olen as "Rare". It ranks above 95.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7,645 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olen most popular?
The single biggest year for Olen was 1922, when 193 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olen is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Olen a male name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Olen 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.