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

Olean, 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 Olean surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Olean in America

Olean is the 78040th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Olean surname appeared 245 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 Olean.

We can also compare 2010 data for Olean 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 Olean

The surname OLEAN is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "ol" meaning "eel" and "hlinc" meaning "ridge" or "bank." This combination suggests that the name likely originated from a place name referring to a ridge or bank where eels were found in abundance.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname OLEAN can be traced back to the 13th century in various county records and documents from the southern regions of England. One notable early record is from the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, which mentions a William Olene.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings such as Olen, Olene, and Olyng, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and writing at the time. A notable example is John Olene, recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1317.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname OLEAN gained prominence in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Sussex, Kent, and Surrey. One notable individual was Sir Edward Olean (c. 1560-1626), a prominent merchant and Member of Parliament for the City of London.

In the 18th century, the name OLEAN spread further across Britain, and some bearers of the name migrated to the American colonies. One such individual was Samuel Olean (1725-1803), a Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Another notable figure with the surname OLEAN was John Olean (1801-1876), a British naturalist and explorer who traveled extensively throughout Africa and Asia, making significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname OLEAN continued to be found in various parts of Britain and the United States, with individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields, such as academia, politics, and business.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Olean

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

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

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

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