Surname Olssen - Meaning and Origin
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Olssen: What does the surname Olssen mean?
The surname Olssen is of Swedish origin and is predominantly found in Scandinavian countries. It is a patronymic name, a tradition where parts of given names of male ancestors become the family name of the next generation. The last name Olssen translates to "son of Ols" or "son of Olof". Olof is a popular Swedish given name, the equivalent of the English name "Oliver." Therefore, when a man named Olof had a son, that son would become known as the "son of Olof," which was shortened to the surname Olssen. This naming convention was common in Scandinavian countries and is responsible for many common surnames today.
Order DNA origin analysisOlssen: Where does the name Olssen come from?
The last name Olssen is a surname of Scandinavian origin. Although it is most commonly found in Scandinavia, it is also known to be present in other parts of the world, such as the British Isles, Australia, Canada, and the United States. In Scandinavia, the frequency of the last name Olssen is highest in Finland and Sweden in terms of population.
In Finland, Olssen is a fairly common last name. In 2019, a study of thousands of names in the Finn population showed that Olssen was the fifth-most common surname. In Sweden, the name is slightly more uncommon but still ranks in the top 100 surnames.
In the British Isles, the last name Olssen is not as common as it is in Scandinavia. In Wales, it ranks as the 394th most common surname, and in England, it is the 699th most common. This also applies to Australia, where Olssen is the 677th most common surname.
In Canada, Olssen is a fairly uncommon last name. The 2016 Census showed that Olssen ranked as the 3,335th most common name. The United States also has a small population of people with the name Olssen. According to the US Census of 2020, Olssen was the 15, 950th most common last name in the US.
Overall, Olssen is most commonly found in Scandinavia, specifically Finland and Sweden. Although it is not as common, it is still present in other parts of the world, such as the British Isles and the United States.
Variations of the surname Olssen
Olssen (also spelled Olsson, Olsén, and Olsin) is a surname of Scandinavian origin. Common in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, it is derived from the patronymic Olafsson, meaning “son of Olaf”. In the UK, it is most frequently recorded in the County of Lancashire and the Scottish Islands.
Variants of Olssen are published in Norway since the 12th century, with Olafsson being recorded as far back as 1260. Other early records of the surname date from the late 1300s and feature variants such as Olyfsson, Ollesson, Oleshsson, Ollessun, Ollesson, and Oluun. Some of these variants are still found today in Norway and other Scandinavian countries.
Variants of Olssen are Golsun, Ollson, Olsån, Olsen, Olssen, Olsén, Olsøn, Olsun, Olszun, and Olsin. Common spellings throughout Scandinavia are Olsson and Olsén, while Olsin is used more extensively in the UK and United States.
The variants of Olssen suggest a shared root in the Scandinavian languages, and while the origin of the surname may not be certain, its Norse-Viking origin is discernible, with the patronymic Olafsson most commonly cited. As the surname spread to England, Scotland, and America, variants of the name became more regionalized, and spellings changed accordingly. In some cases, the form Olsin is the result of phonetic transformation of the original, such as when Olsson is changed to Olsin in order to facilitate pronunciation.
Famous people with the name Olssen
- Henrik Olssen Melberg: Norwegian jazz guitarist and composer
- Steffen Olssen Blakseth: Norwegian footballer
- Kristofer Olssen Hivju: Norwegian actor
- Brynjar Olssen Melgard: Norwegian footballer
- Jens Olssen Formo: Norwegian Olympic cross- country skier
- Jonas Olssen Drage: Norwegian writer and journalist from Oslo
- Per Olssen Tollefsen: Norwegian handball player
- Christian Olssen: Norwegian singer-songwriter
- Karl Olssen: Norwegian footballer
- Linn Olssen: Norwegian Paralympic swimmer