2000
#8,034
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,807
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Oleson
Derived from the Norwegian patronymic surname Olesen, meaning "son of Ole," a Scandinavian form of Olaf or Óláfr.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,067 Americans carry the last name Oleson. That puts it at #8,866 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,277 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oleson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,277
Census rank
#8,866
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,547 bearers of the surname Oleson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8866th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oleson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oleson
The surname Oleson has its origins in Scandinavia, particularly in Norway and Sweden, and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the old Norse personal name Olav, which means "ancestor's descendant" or "ancestor's heir." This name was popular among the Vikings and was often used as a first name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Oleson can be found in the Danish Census of 1787, where it appears as "Olesen." This spelling variation suggests that the name may have been more prevalent in Denmark during that time period. It is also possible that the name was introduced to other parts of Scandinavia through migration and trade.
The Oleson surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was Niels Olesen (1834-1901), a Danish architect who designed several prominent buildings in Copenhagen, including the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum and the Christiansborg Palace.
Another notable figure was Olaf Oleson (1886-1962), a Norwegian-American wrestler who competed in the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games. He won a gold medal in the heavyweight category at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Oleson can be found in the 1850 census, which listed several families with this surname in Wisconsin and Minnesota. These were likely descendants of Norwegian or Swedish immigrants who had settled in these areas.
Carl Oleson (1857-1935) was an American businessman and politician from Minnesota. He served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives and was involved in various agricultural and business ventures.
Another prominent individual with the Oleson surname was Norma Oleson (1912-1995), an American actress and singer who appeared in several Broadway productions and television shows throughout her career.
It is worth noting that the Oleson surname has undergone various spelling variations over time, including Olsen, Olssen, and Olson, which reflect the different linguistic influences and regional variations within Scandinavia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oleson
Among Census respondents with the surname Oleson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Oleson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Oleson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 3,287
- Two or more races3.5% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oleson
Oleson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,734
-73 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 746 places
2020
#8,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,547
-187 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,034 | 3,807 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,780 | 3,734 | 1.27 | -73 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 746 places |
| 2020 | #8,866 | 3,547 | 1.19 | -187 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 86 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Oleson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,780 | #8,866 | -1.0% |
| Count | 3,734 | 3,547 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.19 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oleson bearers went from 3,734 to 3,547 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,780 to #8,866.
FAQ
Oleson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oleson?
Name Census estimates that about 4,067 living Americans carry the surname Oleson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,277 residents.
How common is Oleson?
Oleson ranks #8,866 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,547 people with the surname Oleson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,067), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Oleson.
Has Oleson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oleson went from 3,734 recorded bearers to 3,547. That is a decrease of 187 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,780 to #8,866.
What does the Census say about the background of Oleson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oleson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Oleson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (3,287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oleson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Oleson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Oleson mean?
Derived from the Norwegian patronymic surname Olesen, meaning "son of Ole," a Scandinavian form of Olaf or Óláfr. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Oleson (1.19 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Oleson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.