Olson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Denmark
Germany
Norway
Sweden

Olson Ranking

In the United States, the name Olson is the 175^th most popular surname with an estimated 136,785 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Olson is ranked the 365^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,558 people with that name. 2

Olson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Olson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Christian Olson, who arrived in New York in 1829 3
Charles Olson, aged 26, who arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1832 3
Gjermund Olson, who landed in Texas in 1846 3
Knud Olson, who arrived in Texas in 1846 3
Sven Olson, who arrived in Texas in 1846 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Olson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Berndt Olson, who landed in Alaska in 1900 3
Edward Olson, who landed in Wisconsin in 1907 3
Adolph Olson, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1911 3
Christen Amundson Olson, who landed in Wisconsin in 1913 3
Ole Amundson Olson, who landed in Wisconsin in 1913 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Olson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Olson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander Olson who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Haubet" departing 2nd July 1847 from Hamburg, Germany; the ship arrived on 1st September but he died on board 4
Mr. Garry Olson, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Haubet" departing 2nd July 1847 from Hamburg, Germany; the ship arrived on 1st September but he died on board 4
Mr. Gunild Olson, aged 5 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Haubet" departing 2nd July 1847 from Hamburg, Germany; the ship arrived on 1st September but he died on board 4
Mr. Hirard Olson, aged 1 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Haubet" departing 2nd July 1847 from Hamburg, Germany; the ship arrived on 1st September but he died on board 4

Olson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Olson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Donald Olson, (b. 1841), aged 22, British ploughman travelling from London aboard the ship "David G. Fleming" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th December 1863 5
Mr. John Olson, (b. 1856), aged 18, Scottish general servant, from Caithness travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 5
Miss Christina Olson, (b. 1859), aged 15, Scottish farm worker, from Caithness travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Olson (post 1700) +

Evan Scott Olson (b. 1967), American rock singer and songwriter
Evan Olson (1997-2024), American rower, who competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Kurt Edward Olson (1948-2023), American politician who was a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives
Weldon Howard "Weldy" Olson (1932-2023), American silver medalist ice hockey player at the 1956 Winter Olympics and a gold medal at the 1960 Winter Olympics
Storrs Lovejoy Olson (1944-2021), American biologist and ornithologist who spent his career at the Smithsonian Institution
Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (1934-2020), American basketball coach, inducted into both the Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
Edgar Laverne Olson (1937-2020), American politician, Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (1985-1998)
Karl Arthur Olson (1930-2010), American Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1951 to 1957
Carl E. Olson (b. 1969), American non-fiction author
Carl "Bobo" Olson (1928-2002), American boxer, World Middleweight Champion between October 1953 and December 1955
... (Another 18 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Olson family +

Arrow Air Flight 1285

Mr. Robert L Olson (1965-1985), American Private 1st Class from Omaha, Nebraska, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 6

USS Arizona

Mr. Glen Martin Olson, American Seaman Second Class from Washington, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 7

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 92)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html