Given name & surname · also Swedish
Olson
Olson is a surname from Swedish, ultimately from Danish and Norwegian.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
Olson comes from Swedish, and ultimately from Danish and Norwegian.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Swedish Olsson, from Danish and Norwegian Olsen.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1927. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Olson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 343
- 343 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 36 babies
- 2025
- 30
- #3,732 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +62%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 30 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,732 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 62.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 407 as a first name in 2020; 156,271 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Olson’s family of names
In English usage, Olson as a surname has an alternative spelling in OLESON. In English usage, Olson as a surname has a related form in OLESON. In English usage, Olson as a surname was borrowed from the Swedish form OLSSON.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
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