Olesia
A feminine name of Russian origin meaning "olive tree".
Name Census estimates that about 84 living Americans carry the first name Olesia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Olesia today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olesia births was 2010 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olesia. 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 Olesia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
84
~ 1 in 4,080,409 Americans
Peak year
2010
13 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,074
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Olesia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olesia from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 33 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Olesia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olesia 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 Olesia 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 Olesia
The name Olesia has its origins in the Slavic languages, particularly Ukrainian and Russian. It is a feminine form of the male name Oleg, which is derived from the Old Norse name Olaf or Anlaf. The root of the name is believed to be the Old Norse word "anu" meaning "ancestor's descendant."
In Ukrainian and Russian, the name Olesia is often associated with concepts of "protected by ancestors" or "heir of ancestors." It is a name with deep historical roots in the region, with records of its use dating back to the 10th century during the Kievan Rus' period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olesia can be found in the Primary Chronicle, a historical text from the 12th century that documented the history of the Kievan Rus'. The chronicle mentions an Olesia, wife of Prince Svyatoslav I of Kiev, who ruled in the 10th century.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Olesia. One of the most famous was Olesia Zhukovskaya (1853-1919), a Russian author and poet known for her works exploring themes of nature and the human experience. Another notable Olesia was Olesia Nikolaeva (1925-2012), a Soviet and Russian actress who appeared in numerous films and television productions during her long career.
In the realm of sports, Olesia Granhina (born 1983) is a Ukrainian former professional tennis player who achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 29 in the world. Olesia Fedorovich (born 1977) is a Belarusian former gymnast who won multiple medals, including gold, at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Another historical figure of note is Olesia Iossifovna Drach (1907-1995), a Soviet historian and archaeologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Slavic cultures and the Kievan Rus' period.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Olesia throughout history, demonstrating its longevity and cultural significance in the Slavic regions.
People
Olesia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olesia 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
Olesia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olesia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 84 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olesia 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 4,080,409 US residents.
Is Olesia a common name?
We classify Olesia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 85 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olesia most popular?
The single biggest year for Olesia was 2010, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olesia is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Olesia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Olesia 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.