Olaf
Olaf was given to 5 boys in 2025, #13,365 among boys’ names; 2,531 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Olaf by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Olaf mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Olaf is “a male given name from Old Norse.”
Derived from Old Norse Óláfr.
/ˈoʊl.əf/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Olaf?
#13,365 among boys’ names, 2025
Olaf fell from #5,216 in 2015 to #13,365 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 9.4 to 2.9 per million.
79 babies in 1916, the peak
Olaf peaked in 1916, when 79 boys were given it, #669 among boys’ names. The 5 births of 2025 are 6% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | #13,365 | under 0.01 |
| 2024 | 5 | #13,693 | under 0.01 |
| 2023 | 5 | #13,609 | under 0.01 |
| 2022 | 6 | #11,913 | under 0.01 |
| 2021 | 7 | #10,487 | under 0.01 |
| 2020 | 7 | #10,296 | under 0.01 |
| 2019 | 9 | #8,680 | 0.01 |
| 2018 | 7 | #10,429 | under 0.01 |
| 2017 | 8 | #9,452 | under 0.01 |
| 2016 | 10 | #7,992 | 0.01 |
Every recorded year (145)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 18 | #5,216 | 0.01 |
| 2014 | 22 | #4,490 | 0.01 |
| 2013 | 9 | #8,577 | under 0.01 |
| 2012 | 15 | #5,902 | 0.01 |
| 2011 | 15 | #5,867 | 0.01 |
| 2010 | 20 | #4,796 | 0.01 |
| 2009 | 17 | #5,478 | 0.01 |
| 2008 | 22 | #4,493 | 0.01 |
| 2007 | 13 | #6,512 | 0.01 |
| 2006 | 19 | #4,808 | 0.01 |
| 2005 | 18 | #4,775 | 0.01 |
| 2004 | 6 | #10,945 | under 0.01 |
| 2003 | 11 | #6,592 | 0.01 |
| 2002 | 13 | #5,635 | 0.01 |
| 2001 | 11 | #6,313 | 0.01 |
| 2000 | 7 | #8,858 | under 0.01 |
| 1999 | 7 | #8,460 | under 0.01 |
| 1998 | 9 | #6,685 | under 0.01 |
| 1997 | 9 | #6,471 | under 0.01 |
| 1996 | 10 | #5,845 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 8 | #6,808 | under 0.01 |
| 1994 | 12 | #5,027 | 0.01 |
| 1993 | 7 | #7,386 | under 0.01 |
| 1992 | 9 | #6,000 | under 0.01 |
| 1991 | 18 | #3,416 | 0.01 |
| 1990 | 9 | #5,688 | under 0.01 |
| 1988 | 11 | #4,372 | 0.01 |
| 1987 | 10 | #4,477 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 11 | #4,048 | 0.01 |
| 1985 | 5 | #7,285 | under 0.01 |
| 1984 | 7 | #5,410 | under 0.01 |
| 1983 | 5 | #6,994 | under 0.01 |
| 1982 | 9 | #4,484 | under 0.01 |
| 1981 | 8 | #4,832 | under 0.01 |
| 1980 | 13 | #3,379 | 0.01 |
| 1979 | 13 | #3,304 | 0.01 |
| 1978 | 9 | #4,068 | 0.01 |
| 1977 | 16 | #2,755 | 0.01 |
| 1976 | 8 | #4,297 | 0.01 |
| 1975 | 21 | #2,183 | 0.01 |
| 1974 | 7 | #4,490 | under 0.01 |
| 1973 | 20 | #2,102 | 0.01 |
| 1972 | 14 | #2,627 | 0.01 |
| 1971 | 19 | #2,182 | 0.01 |
| 1970 | 21 | #1,974 | 0.01 |
| 1969 | 16 | #2,197 | 0.01 |
| 1968 | 21 | #1,768 | 0.01 |
| 1967 | 18 | #1,882 | 0.01 |
| 1966 | 17 | #1,943 | 0.01 |
| 1965 | 14 | #2,237 | 0.01 |
| 1964 | 23 | #1,683 | 0.01 |
| 1963 | 15 | #2,175 | 0.01 |
| 1962 | 18 | #1,940 | 0.01 |
| 1961 | 15 | #2,211 | 0.01 |
| 1960 | 18 | #1,957 | 0.01 |
| 1959 | 21 | #1,787 | 0.01 |
| 1958 | 10 | #2,761 | under 0.01 |
| 1957 | 15 | #2,163 | 0.01 |
| 1956 | 12 | #2,455 | 0.01 |
| 1955 | 15 | #2,111 | 0.01 |
| 1954 | 12 | #2,399 | 0.01 |
| 1953 | 17 | #1,941 | 0.01 |
| 1952 | 17 | #1,919 | 0.01 |
| 1951 | 11 | #2,460 | 0.01 |
| 1950 | 12 | #2,289 | 0.01 |
| 1949 | 13 | #2,194 | 0.01 |
| 1948 | 14 | #2,089 | 0.01 |
| 1947 | 8 | #3,028 | under 0.01 |
| 1946 | 18 | #1,736 | 0.01 |
| 1945 | 15 | #1,833 | 0.01 |
| 1944 | 13 | #2,055 | 0.01 |
| 1943 | 16 | #1,885 | 0.01 |
| 1942 | 10 | #2,483 | 0.01 |
| 1941 | 17 | #1,736 | 0.01 |
| 1940 | 13 | #2,059 | 0.01 |
| 1939 | 22 | #1,450 | 0.02 |
| 1938 | 15 | #1,876 | 0.01 |
| 1937 | 10 | #2,431 | 0.01 |
| 1936 | 17 | #1,706 | 0.02 |
| 1935 | 19 | #1,639 | 0.02 |
| 1934 | 15 | #1,908 | 0.01 |
| 1933 | 19 | #1,628 | 0.02 |
| 1932 | 18 | #1,762 | 0.02 |
| 1931 | 24 | #1,446 | 0.02 |
| 1930 | 31 | #1,297 | 0.03 |
| 1929 | 25 | #1,471 | 0.02 |
| 1928 | 33 | #1,265 | 0.03 |
| 1927 | 35 | #1,241 | 0.03 |
| 1926 | 35 | #1,238 | 0.03 |
| 1925 | 38 | #1,162 | 0.03 |
| 1924 | 31 | #1,350 | 0.03 |
| 1923 | 34 | #1,251 | 0.03 |
| 1922 | 33 | #1,276 | 0.03 |
| 1921 | 50 | #1,000 | 0.05 |
| 1920 | 43 | #1,084 | 0.04 |
| 1919 | 49 | #968 | 0.05 |
| 1918 | 60 | #853 | 0.06 |
| 1917 | 74 | #712 | 0.08 |
| 1916 | 79 | #669 | 0.09 |
| 1915 | 71 | #697 | 0.08 |
| 1914 | 55 | #692 | 0.08 |
| 1913 | 46 | #665 | 0.09 |
| 1912 | 40 | #678 | 0.09 |
| 1911 | 13 | #964 | 0.06 |
| 1910 | 14 | #850 | 0.07 |
| 1909 | 9 | #1,062 | 0.05 |
| 1908 | 23 | #534 | 0.15 |
| 1907 | 21 | #534 | 0.14 |
| 1906 | 19 | #537 | 0.14 |
| 1905 | 8 | #981 | 0.06 |
| 1904 | 8 | #940 | 0.06 |
| 1903 | 9 | #828 | 0.08 |
| 1902 | 12 | #677 | 0.10 |
| 1901 | 9 | #763 | 0.08 |
| 1900 | 8 | #1,023 | 0.05 |
| 1899 | 9 | #765 | 0.08 |
| 1898 | 13 | #626 | 0.11 |
| 1897 | 13 | #609 | 0.12 |
| 1896 | 13 | #623 | 0.11 |
| 1895 | 11 | #664 | 0.09 |
| 1894 | 16 | #514 | 0.14 |
| 1893 | 8 | #813 | 0.07 |
| 1892 | 12 | #629 | 0.10 |
| 1891 | 15 | #466 | 0.15 |
| 1890 | 14 | #528 | 0.13 |
| 1889 | 17 | #458 | 0.15 |
| 1888 | 12 | #599 | 0.10 |
| 1887 | 14 | #476 | 0.14 |
| 1886 | 17 | #445 | 0.15 |
| 1885 | 21 | #393 | 0.19 |
| 1884 | 20 | #410 | 0.17 |
| 1883 | 17 | #443 | 0.16 |
| 1882 | 13 | #532 | 0.11 |
| 1881 | 7 | #757 | 0.07 |
| 1880 | 11 | #592 | 0.10 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Olaf a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Olaf has been recorded only for boys: SSA lists no girls with the name in 145 years of records (it lists a name only in years with 5 or more babies of a sex).
Girls and boys named Olaf: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Olaf, and how old are they?
An estimated 920 Americans named Olaf and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (36% of everyone recorded); the median is 46 years old and half are between 20 and 62. An estimate from SSA’s births and life tables, not a count.
The 2020 Census counted 1,504 people named Olaf (12 women and girls, 1,492 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 980 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1.5 times that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Olaf born?
The states with the most babies named Olaf are Minnesota, North Dakota and New York, with 73% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Minnesota and North Dakota are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 123 | not ranked | 2.7× |
| North Dakota | 112 | not ranked | 9.1× |
| New York | 59 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| California | 46 | not ranked | 0.3× |
| Wisconsin | 25 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Illinois | 23 | not ranked | 0.2× |
| Iowa | 6 | not ranked | 0.2× |
| Montana | 5 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Washington | 5 | not ranked | 0.2× |
Where Olaf is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Olaf is most over-represented in North Dakota: since 1910 it was given 9.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Olaf with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 2 names spelled alike, given to 2,638 babies since 1880, Olaf is the most given (96% of them).
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Olaf
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Olaf and names like it
- Compare Olaf and OlofBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1910sOlaf peaked in 1916.
- Minnesota’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Olaf since 1910.
- The top names of 1916The year the most babies were named Olaf.
- The names of Generation XMost people named Olaf alive today were born 1965-1980.
- Names starting with OMost given first.