2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Olinn
A surname of unknown origin, possibly derived from a given name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Olinn. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olinn 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Olinn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olinn
The surname OLINN originated in the Scandinavian regions of Northern Europe, with roots tracing back to the Old Norse language spoken by the Vikings and Norse settlers. It is believed to have emerged during the Medieval period, between the 5th and 15th centuries.
OLINN is thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "ólinn," which means "ancestral" or "ancient." This connection suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term to identify individuals with a long family lineage or those associated with ancient traditions and customs.
Early records mentioning the surname OLINN are scarce, as written records from that era were often incomplete or lost over time. However, some historical references can be found in ancient Norse sagas and chronicles, which documented the lives and deeds of notable individuals.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name OLINN was Halfdan Olinn, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 9th century. He is mentioned in the Heimskringla, a collection of Old Norse kings' sagas written by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century.
Another notable figure was Thorvald Olinn, a Viking explorer from Iceland who is believed to have accompanied Leif Erikson on his voyages to Vinland (present-day North America) around the year 1000 CE. His name is recorded in the Grænlendinga saga, a historical account of the Norse settlement in Greenland.
In the 12th century, a Norwegian nobleman named Ketill Olinn is mentioned in the Njál's saga, one of the most significant works of Icelandic literature. He was a prominent landowner and chieftain in the region of Trøndelag, Norway.
During the Middle Ages, the name OLINN also appeared in various place names and toponyms across Scandinavia. For example, the village of Olinnskogar ("Olinn's Woods") in Iceland was named after an early settler with the surname.
Another notable bearer of the OLINN surname was Björn Olinn, a 14th-century Icelandic scholar and lawspeaker (a prestigious position in the Icelandic Commonwealth). He played a crucial role in preserving and transmitting the Old Norse literary and legal traditions.
As the name spread across Europe through migration and trade, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Olinn, Olin, Ohlin, and Ohlinn. However, the core meaning and connection to ancient Nordic heritage remained intact.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olinn
Among Census respondents with the surname Olinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Olinn 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 Olinn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 117
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olinn
Olinn 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
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+14 bearers (+13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,319 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 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.1%) | Up 11,319 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 Olinn 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 | #141,309 | 7.4% |
| Count | 107 | 121 | 13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olinn bearers went from 107 to 121 (+13.1% change). The surname moved up 11,319 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #141,309.
FAQ
Olinn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olinn?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Olinn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Olinn?
Olinn ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Olinn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Olinn.
Has Olinn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olinn went from 107 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 14 (+13.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Olinn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Olinn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olinn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Hispanic (1.7%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Olinn (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 Olinn mean?
A surname of unknown origin, possibly derived from a given name. 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 Olinn (0.04 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 have the surname Olinn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.