Given name
Olav
“the last of the ancestors”
In Norwegian and Danish use, Olav is a variant of Olaf. One interpretation is “the last of the ancestors.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Norwegian and Danish use, Olav is a variant of Olaf. One interpretation is “the last of the ancestors.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Norwegian and Danish use, Olav is a variant of Olaf. An origin associated with Olaf is Old Norse.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Olav developed from Óláfr.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1919. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Olav through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 38
- 38 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1919
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2022. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 7 in 1919. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 244 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Olav’s family of names
In Norwegian Bokmål usage, Olav shares a linguistic root with the English form Olaf. In Norwegian Nynorsk usage, Olav has a related form in Ola. Olav has a related form in Olaf.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Olav has relatives in 13 languages.
16 related names in 13 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- OlaviFinnish
- Olavsen“son of” surname · English
- ОлафRussian
- Olaoalso known as · Italian
- Olaugfeminine form · Norwegian
- Olawequivalent
- Oleivdoublet · Norwegian Nynorsk
- Óláfrolder form · Old Norse
Show 2 moreShow fewer
See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Olav
- Olav Vking of Norway (1957–1991)1903–1991
- Olav Magnussonking of Norway in 1103–11151099–1115
- Olav DuunNorwegian writer (1876-1939)
- Olav BjaalandNorwegian skier and Antarctica explorer (1873-1961)
- Olav AukrustNorwegian lyricist (1883–1929)
- Olav KooijDutch cyclistborn 2001
- Olav Sundeathletics competitor (1903–1985)
- Olav JordetNorwegian biathleteborn 1939
- Olav LundanesNorwegian orienteerborn 1987
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Olav, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Gustav
“of the staff of the gods”
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“a wealthy man”
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“strong as a bear”
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Ludwik
Ludwik is used as a given name and a surname. Ludwik is connected with Ludwig.
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Ferdie
“a courageous voyager”
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“baal protect the king”
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Reinold
“the king's advisor”
>99% boys