# Olson (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/olson/  
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 from Swedish.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Swedish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 164,035 |
| US rank (2010) | 157 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,882 people |
| Change since 2000 | +0.3% (163,502 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈoʊlsən/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Oleson |

## Etymology

In the USA, a common anglicization of Swedish Olsson and Danish and Norwegian Olsen, all meaning "son of Olaf".

## Who carries it

Share of people named Olson 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) | 95% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.4% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 1.4% |

## Similar surnames

Olsen, 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.