2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Olges
A surname potentially derived from the Germanic "Olga" or "Alga", meaning blessed or prosperous.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Olges. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olges 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Olges in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olges, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olges
The surname OLGES is believed to have its origins in the modern-day country of Denmark, dating back to the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old Danish word "olge," which referred to a type of coarse, woven fabric or sackcloth commonly used for clothing and other practical purposes by the peasant class during that era.
One of the earliest known references to the name OLGES can be found in the Skåne County land records from the late 1300s, which mention a farmer named Jens Olges residing in the village of Trelleborg. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, denoting an individual's trade or association with the production or trade of this particular textile.
By the 16th century, variations of the name began appearing in various Danish parish records and census documents, including spellings such as "Olgesen," "Olgisson," and "Olgesen." These variations likely indicate the evolution of the name from a patronymic form, indicating "son of Olge," to a more standardized surname.
One notable figure bearing the OLGES surname was Anders Olges, a Danish merchant and ship owner who lived from approximately 1570 to 1642. He is recorded as having participated in several maritime expeditions to the Baltic region and was instrumental in establishing trade routes between Denmark and the Hanseatic League cities.
Another individual of historical significance was Kirsten Olges, a woman who lived in the early 17th century and was convicted of witchcraft during the infamous Danish witch trials. Her name appears in court records from the town of Ribe, where she was ultimately executed for her alleged crimes in 1623.
In the 18th century, the OLGES surname began to spread beyond the borders of Denmark, with some bearers migrating to neighboring Scandinavian countries and other parts of Europe. One such individual was Niels Olges, a Danish-born sailor who served in the Swedish Navy during the latter half of the 1700s and is recorded as having participated in several naval battles against Russia during the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790.
Another notable figure from this period was Peder Olges, a Danish-born farmer and landowner who settled in the region of modern-day Germany in the mid-1700s. He is recorded as having acquired a substantial amount of agricultural land in the area near the town of Kiel, where his descendants continued to reside for several generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olges
Among Census respondents with the surname Olges, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Olges 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 Olges surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 92
- Two or more races7.7% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olges
Olges appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 962 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 Olges 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 | #152,628 | #153,590 | -0.6% |
| Count | 107 | 104 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olges bearers went from 107 to 104 (-2.8% change). The surname moved down 962 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #153,590.
FAQ
Olges surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olges?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Olges. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Olges?
Olges ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Olges. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Olges.
Has Olges become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olges went from 107 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #152,628 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Olges?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olges, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Olges in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olges appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (7.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Olges (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 Olges mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Germanic "Olga" or "Alga", meaning blessed or prosperous. 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 Olges (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Olges?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.