2000
#7,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,262
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Olin
A Swedish habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a village or farmstead.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,428 Americans carry the last name Olin. That puts it at #8,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,406 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olin 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
4.4K
1 in 77,406
Census rank
#8,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,861 bearers of the surname Olin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olin
The surname Olin is of Swedish origin, derived from the medieval Scandinavian personal name Olin or Olav, which itself is a combination of the Old Norse elements "anu" meaning ancestor and "laf" meaning remnant or heir. The name can be traced back to the 11th century in Sweden and surrounding areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olin is found in the Diplomatarium Suecanum, a collection of medieval Swedish documents, where an individual named Olaff Olin is mentioned in a charter from the year 1312. The name also appears in various parish records and census records throughout the 16th and 17th centuries in regions such as Västergötland and Dalsland.
The surname Olin is believed to have originated as a patronymic, meaning it was initially used to denote the son of someone named Olin or Olav. Over time, it became a hereditary surname passed down through generations. The name is also closely related to the place name Olinge, a village in Västergötland, suggesting that some Olin families may have taken their surname from this location.
Notable individuals with the surname Olin include the Swedish theologian and archbishop Johannes Olai Olin (1564-1628), who played a significant role in the Swedish Reformation. Another prominent figure is the American industrialist and philanthropist Franklin W. Olin (1860-1951), who founded the Western Cartridge Company and the Olin Corporation.
Other noteworthy individuals with the Olin surname include the American educator and academic administrator John M. Olin (1888-1982), the Swedish writer and poet Levi Olin (1867-1936), and the American actor and comedian Ken Olin (born 1954).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olin
Among Census respondents with the surname Olin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Olin 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 Olin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 3,319
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 204
- Two or more races3.8% · 148
- Black or African American2.0% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olin
Olin 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
#7,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,163
-99 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 731 places
2020
#8,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,861
-302 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,219 | 4,262 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,950 | 4,163 | 1.41 | -99 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 731 places |
| 2020 | #8,213 | 3,861 | 1.29 | -302 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 263 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 Olin 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 | #7,950 | #8,213 | -3.3% |
| Count | 4,163 | 3,861 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.29 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olin bearers went from 4,163 to 3,861 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 263 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,950 to #8,213.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Olin
FAQ
Olin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,428 living Americans carry the surname Olin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,406 residents.
How common is Olin?
Olin ranks #8,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,861 people with the surname Olin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,428), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Olin.
Has Olin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olin went from 4,163 recorded bearers to 3,861. That is a decrease of 302 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,950 to #8,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Olin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olin, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (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 Olin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (3,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (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 Olin (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 Olin mean?
A Swedish habitational surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a village or farmstead. 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 Olin (1.29 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 Olin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.