Total births
27
Girls' name · since 1913
Olwen
27 babies named Olwen in U.S. Social Security records since 1913, with the highest year being 1917. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- 27
- total births
- 1913–2018
- years on record
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 81%
- born in that decade
Olwen is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 27 have been recorded since 1913.
Olwen has 27 recorded births among girls since 1913, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1910s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1913 to 2018.
- 27 total births
- 1913–2018 years on record
- 1910s peak decade
- 81% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
27 girls have been named Olwen since 1913, peaking in the 1910s, last recorded in 2018.
- 27
- total births
- 1913–2018
- years on record
- 1910s
- peak decade
- 81%
- born in that decade
1910s
Peak decade
81% of everyone ever named Olwen was born in this single decade.
1917
Single peak year
12 babies were named Olwen in 1917 - its busiest year on record.
Olwen's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Olwen's SSA record in two at 1917 and the more recent half accounts for 63% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 37%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1913, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1917 peak of 12, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Olwen at a glance
Last recorded 2018Peak year
1917
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1913
Olwen popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1913–2018
- Peak year (1917)
- 12
- Annual births at peak, across 106 years of records
Olwen by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1910s was Olwen's strongest decade.
22 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 81% of all-time use.
Olwen births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s
1910s
22 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1910s at 22 births (81% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Olwen? ▼
Since 1913, Social Security records show 27 babies named Olwen. The most recent recorded year was 2018. Its busiest year on record was 1917, with 12 births.
When was Olwen most popular? ▼
Olwen was most popular in the 1910s decade with 22 total births. The single peak year was 1917.
How long has the name Olwen been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Olwen since 1913 -- 106 years through the most recent 2018 data.
What names are similar to Olwen? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Olwyn. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Olwen's data
- Olwen's decade-level peak was the 1910s (22 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Olwen
Nearby Names Like Olwen
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Olwen
Compare Olwen side by side: Olwen vs Olwyn
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1913–2018 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Olwen: Baby Name Since 1913 - 27 Births, Peak 1917." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/olwen. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Olwen 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 June 2026.