# Olsen (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/olsen/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A patrilineal surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Danish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 59,356 |
| US rank (2010) | 566 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,202 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.5% (57,357 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Danish Olsen, patronymic from Ole + -sen.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Olsen in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 94% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.6% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Olsen in the United States, Spain, Austria, Australia and the Kingdom of Denmark.

## People named Olsen

- Elizabeth Olsen, American actress (born 1989)
- Mary-Kate Olsen, American businesswoman and actress (born 1986)
- Ashley Olsen, American businesswoman, fashion designer and actress (born 1986)
- Eric Christian Olsen, American actor
- Ken Olsen, American engineer and businessman (1926–2011)
- Gregory Olsen, American astronaut and businessman
- Ben Olsen, American soccer player and coach
- Angel Olsen, American indie pop singer-songwriter
- Jon Olsen, American swimmer
- Moroni Olsen, American actor (1889–1954)
- Merlin Olsen, American football player and actor (1940-2010)
- Tillie Olsen, American writer (1912–2007)

and 15 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Olson, Oleson, Olsson, Olesen, Ohlson, Ollison, Olguín, Olejniczak.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.