2000
#9,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,205
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.19
Rare Last name
Olney
From the Old English byname Æthelnoð, meaning "noble daring" or "noble boldness."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,586 Americans carry the last name Olney. That puts it at #9,868 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olney 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Olney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 95,581
Census rank
#9,868
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,127 bearers of the surname Olney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9868th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olney, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olney
The surname OLNEY is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire, England. The name Olney itself is believed to come from the Old English words "ole" meaning "a source or spring" and "eg" meaning "an island or low-lying land surrounded by water or marshy ground."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name OLNEY can be found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Ollenei." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named John de Olney was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1230. This indicates that the surname had begun to spread beyond its original geographical roots.
During the 16th century, the name OLNEY gained prominence with the birth of John Olney (c. 1515-1564), an English clergyman and Protestant martyr who was burned at the stake for his religious beliefs during the Marian persecutions.
Another notable bearer of the OLNEY surname was Thomas Olney (c. 1600-1654), one of the founders of Providence, Rhode Island, and a close associate of Roger Williams. He was among the first settlers of the colony and played a significant role in its early development.
In the 18th century, Baptismal records from the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire show the name OLNEY being used consistently among local families, cementing its longstanding connection to the area.
William Olney (1786-1859), an English mathematician and educator, was a prominent figure in the 19th century. He authored numerous mathematical textbooks and served as the headmaster of the prestigious Prospect House School in Twickenham.
Throughout history, the OLNEY surname has also been associated with notable figures in various fields, including literature, politics, and science, further contributing to its rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olney
Among Census respondents with the surname Olney, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Olney 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 Olney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 2,674
- Two or more races4.4% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.1% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 118
- Black or African American1.2% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olney
Olney 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
#9,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,248
+43 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 598 places
2020
#9,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,127
-121 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,334 | 3,205 | 1.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,932 | 3,248 | 1.10 | +43 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 598 places |
| 2020 | #9,868 | 3,127 | 1.05 | -121 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 64 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 Olney 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 | #9,932 | #9,868 | 0.6% |
| Count | 3,248 | 3,127 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 1.05 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olney bearers went from 3,248 to 3,127 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,932 to #9,868.
FAQ
Olney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olney?
Name Census estimates that about 3,586 living Americans carry the surname Olney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,581 residents.
How common is Olney?
Olney ranks #9,868 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 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 3,127 people with the surname Olney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,586), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 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 Olney.
Has Olney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olney went from 3,248 recorded bearers to 3,127. That is a decrease of 121 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,932 to #9,868.
What does the Census say about the background of Olney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olney, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%). 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 Olney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (2,674 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%). 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 Olney (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 Olney mean?
From the Old English byname Æthelnoð, meaning "noble daring" or "noble boldness." 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 Olney (1.05 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 last name Olney?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Olney on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.