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

Ollison, 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 Ollison surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ollison in America

Ollison is the 24352nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ollison surname appeared 1,029 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 Ollison.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ollison 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 Ollison

The surname Ollison is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "olla," which means "pot" or "vessel." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who made or sold pots or pottery.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ollison can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a certain Willelmus Ollison is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already in use by the 14th century.

In the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1379, there is a reference to a John Ollison, who may have been a resident of the village of Ollington, which was located near the town of Cheltenham. This village name itself is believed to be derived from the Old English words "olla" and "tun," meaning "pot town" or "town of the potter."

During the 16th century, the name Ollison appeared in various historical records across different counties in England. In the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1524, there is a mention of a Thomas Ollison, while the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1572 list a Robert Ollison.

One notable figure from history who bore the surname Ollison was Sir John Ollison (1564-1628), a wealthy merchant and alderman from the city of London. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1624 and was knighted by King James I.

Another individual of note was Edward Ollison (1657-1733), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Charlwood in Surrey. He published several works on theology and sermons during his lifetime.

In the 18th century, a John Ollison (1716-1778) was a prominent clockmaker based in Ipswich, Suffolk. His clocks and timepieces were highly regarded and can still be found in various collections today.

During the 19th century, James Ollison (1805-1876) was a successful businessman and entrepreneur from Manchester, England. He founded the textile manufacturing company J. Ollison & Sons, which played a significant role in the city's industrial development.

Finally, one of the more recent figures with the surname Ollison was Sir Geoffrey Ollison (1892-1975), a British diplomat and civil servant who served as the Ambassador to Spain from 1948 to 1951.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ollison

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

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

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

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