Boys' name · since 1919

Olav

38 babies named Olav in U.S. Social Security records since 1919, with the highest year being 1919. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

#24,158 of 45,481
all-time among boys
38
born since 1919
1920s
peak decade

Olav sits outside today's top ranks for boys, with 38 recorded since 1919.

Social Security Administration records show Olav recorded 38 times among boys since 1919, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used boys names, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1919 to 2022.

  • #24,158 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • 38 born since 1919
  • 1920s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Olav ranks #24,158 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 38 born since 1919, peaking in the 1920s.

#24,158 of 45,481
all-time among boys
38
born since 1919
1920s
peak decade
Below the archive median
All-time archive position

Olav's 38 recorded births place it above 46.76% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

National only
State-record footprint

No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.

Olav's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Olav splits its recorded history at 1932: 53% of all births land in the more recent half, 47% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1924 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1919 peak of 7 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Olav popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1919–2022

Last recorded 2022
Peak year (1919)
7
Annual births at peak, across 104 years of records
4.555.566.577.5 1919192019241932195719722022 5

Olav by decade

1920s is the heaviest window (11 births, 29% of the file).

1920s was Olav's strongest decade.

11 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 29% of all-time use.

Olav births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1920s at 11 births (29% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Olav? ▼
38 babies have been named Olav since 1919. All-time, it sits at #24,158 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. It was last recorded in 2022. The peak year was 1919 with 7 births.
Where does Olav sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Olav ranks #24,158 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the null SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Olav most popular? ▼
Olav was most popular in the 1920s decade with 11 total births. The single peak year was 1919.
How long has the name Olav been used? ▼
Records for Olav go back to 1919, giving 104 years of history through 2022.
What names are similar to Olav? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Olan, Olaf, Olajuwon, Ola, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Olav's data

  • Olav's usage has stayed within range of its 1920s decade-level peak (11 total births) through the 2020s (5) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Olav

Nearby Names Like Olav

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Olav

Olan Boy
#6159 2,732 births
Olaf Boy
#12020 2,531 births
Olajuwon Boy
#9155 641 births
Ola Boy
624 births
Olando Boy
621 births

Compare Olav side by side: Olav vs Olan Olav vs Olaf Olav vs Olajuwon

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar number of total births

Redden #10710
38 births · Peak 1880
Idell
38 births · Peak 1921
Agee
38 births · Peak 1919
Boise
38 births · Peak 1921
Greeley
38 births · Peak 1919
Wales
38 births · Peak 1939
Ancle
38 births · Peak 1915
Edley
38 births · Peak 1920

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Olav: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.

Data Sources

Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1919–2022 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).

Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Olav draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.