2000
#11,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,476
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Olsson
A patronymic surname of Swedish origin meaning "son of Olof," with Olof being a Scandinavian form of Olav or Olaf.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,914 Americans carry the last name Olsson. That puts it at #11,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,623 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olsson 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 Olsson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 117,623
Census rank
#11,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,541 bearers of the surname Olsson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olsson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olsson
The surname Olsson is of Swedish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is a patronymic name, meaning "son of Olle," with Olle being a Swedish diminutive form of the name Olof or Olav. The name Olav itself is derived from the Old Norse name Áleifr, which consists of the elements "anu" (ancestor) and "leifr" (descendant, heir).
Olsson was a common name among the peasant and farming communities of Sweden, particularly in the central and southern regions. It can be found in various historical records, including parish registers and census rolls from the 16th century onwards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olsson can be traced back to the early 15th century, when a man named Olof Olsson is mentioned in the records of the city of Lund, located in the southern province of Skåne.
In the 17th century, the explorer and cartographer, Johan Olsson Grubbe (1624-1708), made significant contributions to the mapping of the Baltic Sea region and served as a naval officer under the Swedish king, Charles XI.
Johan Olsson Lindhagen (1776-1856) was a notable Swedish politician and jurist who served as the Lord Chief Justice of Sweden during the mid-19th century.
Another notable figure was the Swedish writer and playwright, August Olsson (1885-1929), who is best known for his novels and plays depicting the lives of working-class people in Stockholm.
Nils Olsson (1909-1996) was a renowned Swedish-American historian and genealogist, who made significant contributions to the study of Swedish immigration to the United States.
The name Olsson has also been associated with various place names in Sweden, such as Olssons farm (Olssons gård) or Olsson's village (Olssons by), which reflect the widespread use of the name in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olsson
Among Census respondents with the surname Olsson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Olsson 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 Olsson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 2,253
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 120
- Two or more races3.6% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 45
- Black or African American1.0% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olsson
Olsson 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
#11,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,615
+139 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 326 places
2020
#11,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,541
-74 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 165 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,628 | 2,476 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,954 | 2,615 | 0.89 | +139 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 326 places |
| 2020 | #11,789 | 2,541 | 0.85 | -74 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 165 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 Olsson 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 | #11,954 | #11,789 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,615 | 2,541 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.85 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olsson bearers went from 2,615 to 2,541 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 165 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,954 to #11,789.
FAQ
Olsson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olsson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,914 living Americans carry the surname Olsson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,623 residents.
How common is Olsson?
Olsson ranks #11,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,541 people with the surname Olsson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,914), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Olsson.
Has Olsson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olsson went from 2,615 recorded bearers to 2,541. That is a decrease of 74 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,954 to #11,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Olsson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olsson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Olsson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (2,253 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olsson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Olsson (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 Olsson mean?
A patronymic surname of Swedish origin meaning "son of Olof," with Olof being a Scandinavian form of Olav or 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 Olsson (0.85 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 share the surname Olsson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.