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

Olek, 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 Olek surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Olek in America

Olek is the 80926th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Olek surname appeared 234 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 Olek.

We can also compare 2010 data for Olek 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 Olek

The surname OLEK is of Polish origin, tracing its roots back to the late Middle Ages. It originated in the regions of central and eastern Poland, particularly in the areas around the cities of Warsaw and Lublin.

OLEK is believed to be a diminutive form or a shortened version of the more common Polish surname Olechowski or Oleksy, which derives from the Slavic personal name Olek or Olechno. These names are thought to have their origins in the Old Slavic word "oljka," meaning "little" or "diminutive."

In the 16th century, records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth mention individuals with the surname OLEK, indicating its early establishment as a distinct surname in the region. One of the earliest known references is found in the 1563 parish registry of the Church of St. John in Krakow, which lists a certain Stanislaw OLEK as a resident of the city.

The surname OLEK has also been documented in historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries, including tax rolls, land ownership documents, and military service records. For instance, Marcin OLEK (1624-1698) was a notable Polish nobleman and landowner from the Lublin region, while Jan OLEK (1712-1778) served as a cavalry officer in the Polish-Lithuanian army during the reign of King Augustus III.

One of the earliest known bearers of the OLEK surname was Katarzyna OLEK (c. 1550-1615), a noblewoman from the village of Olechów, near Warsaw, who is mentioned in a 1592 document regarding a land dispute between local nobles.

In the 19th century, several individuals with the OLEK surname gained prominence in various fields. Józef OLEK (1818-1892) was a Polish painter and art teacher, known for his landscapes and historical paintings. Franciszek OLEK (1845-1911) was a Polish writer and translator, who published several works of fiction and poetry.

Throughout history, the OLEK surname has been present across various regions of Poland, with some variations in spelling, such as Oleck, Oleki, or Oleksy. However, the core form of OLEK has remained widely recognized and used.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Olek

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

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

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

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