Find out how popular the last name Oien is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Oien.

Oien, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Oien surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oien in America

Oien is the 25793rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oien surname appeared 955 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Oien.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oien to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Oien

The surname "OIEN" is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Norway. It is believed to have emerged in the early medieval period, around the 9th or 10th century. The name is derived from the Old Norse word "oy," which means "island," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this surname may have hailed from one of the many islands along the Norwegian coastline.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents dating back to the 12th century. In this collection, there is a reference to a man named "Oien Thorbjornsson," who lived in the late 13th century.

The name has also been linked to various place names in Norway, such as Oien in Møre og Romsdal county and Oien in Trøndelag county. These place names likely originated from the surname itself, indicating that early bearers of the name may have been landowners or prominent figures in those areas.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname "OIEN." One of the earliest was Thorbjorn Oien, a Norwegian farmer and landowner who lived in the late 13th century. Records indicate that he owned significant tracts of land in the Trøndelag region of central Norway.

In the 15th century, there is a record of a merchant named Hans Oien, who was involved in the thriving trade between Norway and the Hanseatic League, a powerful economic alliance of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe.

During the 19th century, a Norwegian playwright and author named Jonas Oien (1825-1896) gained prominence for his works that explored themes of rural life and the struggles of the common people in Norway.

Another notable figure was Olav Oien (1878-1959), a Norwegian politician and member of the Norwegian Parliament (Storting) in the early 20th century, representing the Labour Party.

In more recent times, Randi Oien (born 1952) is a former Norwegian cross-country skier who won multiple medals, including a gold medal in the 4x5 km relay at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

The surname "OIEN" has a rich history rooted in the cultural and geographical landscape of Norway, spanning centuries and encompassing individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oien

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Oien.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Oien was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Oien has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Oien was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Oien, please contact us.

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