Olenna
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from olive or laurel.
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the first name Olenna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Olenna today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olenna births was 2023 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olenna. 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
120
~ 1 in 2,856,286 Americans
Peak year
2023
22 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,081
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Olenna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olenna from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 87 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olenna 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 Olenna 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 Olenna
The name Olenna is derived from the Old English language, originating in the Anglo-Saxon period of England, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th century. It is believed to be a feminine form of the name Olen, which itself is a derivative of the Old English word "olfend," meaning "camel."
Olenna was a relatively uncommon name during the Anglo-Saxon era, but it did appear in some historical records from that time. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Aevi Saxonici, a collection of Anglo-Saxon charters and documents compiled in the early 19th century, where an individual named Olenna is mentioned in a land grant from the year 694.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Olenna remained relatively obscure, with few notable bearers. However, in the 16th century, an English woman named Olenna Wilkinson (c. 1520 – 1598) gained some recognition for her involvement in the Protestant Reformation. She was a follower of the reformer John Wycliffe and was known for her outspoken criticism of the Catholic Church's practices.
In the 17th century, Olenna Burwell (1628 – 1706) was a prominent figure in the early colonial history of Virginia. She was one of the first English settlers in the colony and played a role in the establishment of the Church of England in Virginia.
The 18th century saw the birth of Olenna Gaskell (1746 – 1823), a British writer and educator who published several books on education and childrearing. She was a proponent of progressive educational methods and was influential in her time.
In the 19th century, Olenna Atzerodt (1838 – 1867) gained notoriety as a co-conspirator in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. She was convicted of harboring and assisting her cousin, George Atzerodt, who was one of the conspirators in the Lincoln assassination plot.
Another notable bearer of the name in the 19th century was Olenna Lepingwell (1858 – 1937), a Norwegian-American artist and painter who was known for her landscapes and portraits of Native American subjects.
While the name Olenna has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been borne by a few notable individuals from various backgrounds and time periods. The name's origins can be traced back to the Old English language of the Anglo-Saxon period, where it was likely derived from the word "olfend," meaning "camel."
People
Olenna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olenna 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
Olenna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olenna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 120 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olenna 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 2,856,286 US residents.
Is Olenna a common name?
We classify Olenna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 121 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olenna most popular?
The single biggest year for Olenna was 2023, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olenna is about 5 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 Olenna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Olenna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Olenna 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 Olenna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Olenna 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 Olenna 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 people share the name Olenna?
Find out how many people share the name Olenna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.