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

Olsen, 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 Olsen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Olsen in America

Olsen is the 566th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Olsen surname appeared 59,356 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 20 people would have the surname Olsen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Olsen 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 Olsen

The surname Olsen originates from the Nordic countries, primarily Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. It is a patronymic name formed by adding the suffix "-sen" to the first name Ole, which is a variant of the Old Norse name Óláfr. The name Óláfr is derived from the Old Norse elements "anu" meaning ancestor and "leifr" meaning descendant or heir.

Olsen was a common surname among Scandinavian families during the Middle Ages. It can be traced back to the Viking Age, when the use of patronymic surnames became prevalent in the region. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olsen can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which date back to the 13th and 14th centuries.

In Norway, the name Olsen has a long and rich history. One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Olaf Olsen, a Norwegian farmer who lived in the late 13th century. His name is mentioned in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian documents.

Another notable figure with the surname Olsen was Erik Olsen, a Danish astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1501 to 1569. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial navigation and is considered one of the pioneers of modern astronomy.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Olsen appeared in various historical records across Scandinavia, including church registers and census documents. One prominent individual from this era was Johan Olsen, a Norwegian explorer and whaler who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, the Olsen surname gained further prominence with individuals such as Ole Olsen, a Norwegian-American businessman and co-founder of the Olsen Brothers Circus, which operated in the United States from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century.

Another notable figure was Frederik Olsen, a Norwegian shipowner and industrialist who lived from 1838 to 1920. He founded the Olsen shipping company, which played a significant role in the development of Norway's maritime industry.

While the Olsen surname has its roots in Scandinavia, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. Today, individuals with the surname Olsen can be found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Olsen

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

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

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

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