The first name Olga
A girl’s name from Russian meaning “holy”, “inviolable”, “sacred”.
Pronounced /ˈoʊlɡə/ 2 syllables Female
Meaning and origin
Russian origin
Olga means “holy”, “inviolable”, “sacred” in Russian.
Borrowed in the 19th century from Old East Slavic О́льга (Ólĭga), name of a Kievan knyaginya (Saint Olga of Kiev), a medieval form of Helga, Old Norse heilagr (“holy; inviolable, sacred”). Doublet of Helga.
More names that mean holy.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 5 girls were named Olga, making it the 4,201st most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2010, with 18 births (#1,584).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Olga with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Olga at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 50 girls born in the United States were named Olga, the 3,201st most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 1918, when 1,691 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Olga in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Olga in Catalan, Danish, German, Italian, Latin, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish too.
Famous people named Olga
88 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Olga KorbutBelarusian gymnast (*1955)
- Princess Olga of Greece and DenmarkEldest daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russi, 1903–1997
- Olga OrozcoArgentine writer (1920-1999)
- Olga FikotováCzechoslovak and American discus thrower (1932–2024)
- Olga ZabelinskayaFormer Russian road cyclist, olympic medal winner, born 1980
- Olga KnyazevaFencer (1954–2015)
- Olga Wisinger-FlorianAustrian painter (1844-1926)
- Olga DesmondGerman actress (1890–1964)
- Olga PallAlpine skier, born 1947
- Olga NeuwirthAustrian composer, born 1968
- Olga GuillotCuban singer (1922–2010)
- Olga Benário PrestesGerman-Brazilian Communist militant and Holocaust victim (1908–1942)
More Russian girls’ names
Questions
- What does the name Olga mean?
- Olga means “holy”, “inviolable”, “sacred” in Russian.
- What is the origin of the name Olga?
- Borrowed in the 19th century from Old East Slavic О́льга (Ólĭga), name of a Kievan knyaginya (Saint Olga of Kiev), a medieval form of Helga, Old Norse heilagr (“holy; inviolable, sacred”). Doublet of Helga.
- How popular is the name Olga?
- In 2025, 5 girls born in England and Wales were named Olga, ranking 4,201st. Its peak was 2010, with 18 births.
- Is Olga a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 62,070 US babies named Olga since 1880 were girls.
- When was Olga most popular?
- 1918 in the United States, when 1,691 babies were named Olga, its highest rank at 141st.
- How do you pronounce Olga?
- Olga is /ˈoʊlɡə/, 2 syllables.