2000
#521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,357
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.26
Uncommon Last name
Olsen
A patronymic surname of Danish and Norwegian origin, meaning "son of Ole" or "descendant of Olaf."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 66,081 Americans carry the last name Olsen. That puts it at #571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 19.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olsen 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 Olsen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
66K
1 in 5,187
Census rank
#571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
19.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
58K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 57,626 bearers of the surname Olsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 19.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Olsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Olsen 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 Olsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 52,376
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 2,173
- Two or more races3.3% · 1,884
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 526
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 404
- Black or African American0.5% · 263
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olsen
Olsen 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
#566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,356
+1,999 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 20.12
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,626
-1,730 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 19.28
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #521 | 57,357 | 21.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #566 | 59,356 | 20.12 | +1,999 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #571 | 57,626 | 19.28 | -1,730 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 5 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 Olsen 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 | #566 | #571 | -0.9% |
| Count | 59,356 | 57,626 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 20.12 | 19.28 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olsen bearers went from 59,356 to 57,626 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #566 to #571.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Olsen
FAQ
Olsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olsen?
Name Census estimates that about 66,081 living Americans carry the surname Olsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,187 residents.
How common is Olsen?
Olsen ranks #571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 19.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 57,626 people with the surname Olsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (66,081), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 19.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 19.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Olsen.
Has Olsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olsen went from 59,356 recorded bearers to 57,626. That is a decrease of 1,730 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #566 to #571.
What does the Census say about the background of Olsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Olsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (52,376 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Olsen (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 Olsen mean?
A patronymic surname of Danish and Norwegian origin, meaning "son of Ole" or "descendant of Olaf." 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 Olsen (19.28 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 common is the surname Olsen?
If you just want to know how many people are called Olsen, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.