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

Olverson, 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 Olverson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Olverson in America

Olverson is the 110286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Olverson surname appeared 160 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 Olverson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Olverson 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 Olverson

The surname Olverson originates from Scandinavia, specifically Norway, and can be traced back to the Viking Age (793-1066 AD). It is derived from the Old Norse personal name "Ólafr," which means "ancestor's descendant" or "heir." The name Ólafr was quite popular among the Vikings and was borne by several Norwegian kings, including the famous St. Olaf (995-1030 AD).

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Olverson can be found in medieval Norwegian records and manuscripts, such as the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of documents dating back to the 12th century. The name appears in various spellings, including Olafsson, Olafson, and Olverson, reflecting the evolution of the language and regional variations.

One notable bearer of the name Olverson was Olav Olverson, a Norwegian explorer who is believed to have accompanied Erik the Red on his voyage to Greenland in the late 10th century. Another early Olverson of note was Thorvald Olverson, a Viking chieftain who led a settlement in Iceland in the early 11th century.

As the Vikings spread across Europe and beyond, the name Olverson traveled with them. In the Domesday Book, a detailed survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are several entries of individuals with the name Olverson or variations thereof, indicating the presence of Norse settlers in the region.

During the Middle Ages, the name Olverson was particularly prevalent in the Scandinavian countries and their territories, such as Iceland and Greenland. Prominent individuals bearing this surname include Snorri Olverson (1179-1241), an Icelandic historian, poet, and chieftain known for his works like the Prose Edda and Heimskringla.

Over time, the surname Olverson has spread to other parts of the world due to migration and settlement patterns. One notable bearer of the name was Hans Olverson (1536-1607), a Dutch naval officer and explorer who played a significant role in the early Dutch exploration of the Arctic regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Olverson

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

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

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

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