Explore the Family Name Olafson
The meaning of Olafson
Americanized form of Norwegian and Danish Olafsen or of its very rare Swedish cognate Olafsson. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Erik, Nels.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Olafson in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Olafson has slightly declined between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Olafson ranked as the 31,339th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had dropped to the 32,676th position, a change of -4.27%. However, the count of individuals with this surname increased marginally from 699 in 2000 to 703 in 2010, demonstrating growth of 0.57%. The proportion of Olafsons per 100k people decreased by -7.69% over the same period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #31,339 | #32,676 | -4.27% |
| Count | 699 | 703 | 0.57% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.26 | 0.24 | -7.69% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Olafson
When it comes to ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of bearers of the Olafson surname identified as White, although there was a slight decline from 95.14% in 2000 to 94.31% in 2010. Interestingly, the percentage of Olafsons identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander nearly doubled from 1.57% in 2000 to 3.13% in 2010. There was also a 32.56% increase in those identifying as two or more ethnicities. On the other hand, the percentage of Hispanic identifiers halved from 2.29% in 2000 to 1.14% in 2010. There were no Olafsons identifying as Black, American Indian or Alaskan Native in either census year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.14% | 94.31% | -0.87% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.57% | 3.13% | 99.36% |
| Two or More Races | 0.86% | 1.14% | 32.56% |
| Hispanic | 2.29% | 1.14% | -50.22% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |