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

Olafson, 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 Olafson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Olafson in America

Olafson is the 32676th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Olafson surname appeared 703 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 Olafson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Olafson 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 Olafson

The surname Olafson originated in Scandinavia, particularly in Sweden and Norway. It is a patronymic name, derived from the Old Norse personal name Óláfr or Olaf, which means "ancestor's descendant" or "forefather." The suffix "-son" indicates that the person bearing this name is the son of someone named Olaf.

Olafson is believed to have emerged as a surname during the Middle Ages when hereditary surnames became increasingly common across Europe. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various Scandinavian records and manuscripts.

One notable early bearer of the Olafson surname was Olaf Olafson, a Norwegian landowner and chieftain who lived in the late 12th century. He is mentioned in the Saga of King Sverre, a medieval Norwegian saga that chronicles the life and struggles of King Sverre Sigurdsson.

Another historical figure with the Olafson surname was Eirik Olafson, a 14th-century Icelandic chieftain and lawspeaker. He is mentioned in the Sturlunga saga, a collection of Icelandic sagas detailing the lives of prominent Icelanders during the 13th century.

In the 15th century, Olaf Olafson was a Danish-Norwegian nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Kalmar Union, a series of personal unions that united the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under a single monarch.

The Olafson name also has connections to various place names in Scandinavia. For instance, the village of Olafsdalen in Norway is believed to have been named after an early settler with the Olafson surname.

Another notable bearer of the Olafson surname was Gudrun Olafson, a 17th-century Icelandic woman who gained fame for her poetry and her involvement in the Icelandic Reformation. Her birthdate is uncertain, but she is believed to have lived during the latter half of the 17th century.

Throughout its history, the Olafson surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Olafsson, Olofsson, and Olavsson, reflecting the linguistic and regional differences within Scandinavia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Olafson

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

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 Olafson 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 Olafson 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 Olafson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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