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

Oli, 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 Oli surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oli in America

Oli is the 78316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oli surname appeared 244 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 Oli.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oli 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 Oli

The surname OLI has its origins in Finland, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Finnish word "oli", which means "ale" or "beer". This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who brewed or sold ale in their community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OLI can be found in a Finnish parish register from the year 1587, where a man named Matti Oli is mentioned. It is possible that this was a nickname that later became a surname.

In the 17th century, the OLI surname started to spread to other parts of Finland, particularly in the regions of Ostrobothnia and Savonia. It is believed that some OLI families may have their roots in the village of Olisilta, which means "Ale Bridge" in Finnish.

During the 18th century, several individuals with the surname OLI made notable contributions to Finnish society. One such person was Pekka Oli (1712-1789), who was a prominent farmer and landowner in the town of Lapua.

Another noteworthy figure was Liisa Oli (1738-1821), a respected midwife who practiced in the city of Turku. She is credited with delivering hundreds of babies and is remembered for her expertise in traditional Finnish medicine.

In the 19th century, the OLI surname continued to spread throughout Finland, and some families began to emigrate to other parts of the world, such as Sweden and North America. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was the Finnish painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931), whose original surname was Oli before he changed it later in life.

Another important figure was the Finnish writer and playwright Minna Canth (née Oli, 1844-1897), who is considered one of the pioneers of Finnish realism in literature. Her works often depicted the struggles and injustices faced by women in the 19th century.

In the 20th century, the OLI surname continued to be represented in various fields, including sports. One notable example was Paavo Oli (1923-2002), a Finnish long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the 10,000 meters event at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oli

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

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

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

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