Olsen (Danish pronunciation: [ˈoˀlsn̩]) is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Ole". The surname Olesen (pronounced [ˈoːləsn̩]) has a similar origin. The Swedish parallel form is Olsson – "son of Ole". Danish and Norwegian immigrants to English-speaking countries often changed the spelling to Olson in order to accommodate English orthographic rules.
Notable people with the surname include:
A–K edit
- Aase Olesen (1934–2013), Danish politician
- Andrea Olsen (born 1961), American politician
- Angel Olsen (born 1987), American singer.
- Annelise Damm Olesen (born 1942), Danish retired middle-distance runner
- Anton Olsen (U.S. Navy) (1873–1924), Spanish–American War Medal of Honor recipient
- Ben Olsen (born 1977), American soccer player
- Bjørk Herup Olsen (born 1991), Faroese athlete
- Bjørnar Olsen (born 1958), Norwegian archaeologist
- Brian Olsen (born 1975), American mixed martial artist
- Carsten Olsen (1891–1974), Danish plant ecologist and physiologist
- Charles Olsen (1910–1970), American poet renowned for his provocative style and large body of works
- Dorothy Olsen (1916–2019), American aircraft pilot and member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs)
- Elizabeth Olsen (born 1989), American actress
- Eric Christian Olsen (born 1977), American actor
- Eunice Olsen (born 1977), Singaporean actress and model
- Frances Olsen (born 1945), American law professor at UCLA, feminist law scholar.
- Frederik-Valdemar Olsen (1877–1962), Danish soldier, commander in chief of the Belgian Congo Force Publique
- Gary Olsen (1957–2000), English actor
- Greg Olsen (disambiguation), multiple people
- Gregory Olsen (born 1945), American entrepreneur and scientist, space tourist
- Harold Olsen (1895–1953), American college sports coach
- Helle Olsen, better known as Helle Helle, Danish writer born 1965
- Hilde Gunn Olsen (born 1992), Norwegian footballer
- Inger Pors Olsen (born 1966), Danish rower
- Jens Olsen (1872–1945), Danish clockmaker and locksmith
- John Olsen (1928–2023), Australian artist
- John Olsen (born 1945), 42nd Premier of South Australia
- José María Figueres Olsen (born 1954), 42nd President of Costa Rica
- Karen Olsen Beck (born 1933), Danish American-Costa Rican diplomat and politician
- Ken Olsen (1926–2011), American engineer, co-founder of Digital Equipment Corporation
- Kirsten Olesen (born 1949), Danish actress
- Kjeld Olesen (born 1932), Danish politician
- Kristoffer Olsen (1883–1948), a Norwegian sailor who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics
- Kurt Olsen, American attorney who worked on efforts to overturn 2020 election
L–Z edit
- Larry Olsen (disambiguation), multiple people
- Lisa Olsen (born 1956), Canadian skydiver
- Maria Olsen, South African film producer
- Maria Olsen, New Zealand artist
- Martin Olsen (disambiguation), multiple people
- Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (born 1986), American actress twins
- Merlin Olsen, Hall of Fame NFL American football player and TV color commentator
- Michael Olsen (disambiguation), multiple people
- Moroni Olsen (1889–1954), American actor
- Niels Olsen, original name of Cornelius Cruys, 17th century Norwegian-Dutch admiral in Russian service
- Norman Eugene Olsen (December 1, 1914 – October 1977) was an American football tackle
- Ole Olsen (disambiguation), multiple people
- Ollie Olsen (born 1958), Australian-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and sound designer.
- Peder Olsen Walløe (1716–1793), Danish-Norwegian Arctic explorer
- Penelope Diane Olsen, Australian ornithologist and author
- Peter B. Olsen (1848–1926), American politician
- Poppy Starr Olsen (born 2000), Australian skateboarder
- Robin Olsen, (born 1990), Swedish football goalkeeper
- Sally Olsen (1912–2006), Norwegian-born American social worker and missionary
- Sally Olsen (Minnesota politician) (1934–2022), American lawyer and politician
- Scott Olsen (born 1984), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Florida Marlins
- Søren Olesen (1891–1973), Danish teacher and politician
- Súni Olsen, a Faroese football player
- Susan Olsen (born 1961), American actress best known as Cindy Brady on The Brady Bunch
- Tava Olsen, New Zealand professor in supply chain management
- Tillie Olsen (1912–2007), American writer, feminist, and political activist
- Viktor Olsen (1924–2023), Norwegian long-distance runner
- Olsen Brothers, Danish rock/pop music duo
Fictional characters with the surname include edit
- Jimmy Olsen, a fictional character who appears in DC Comics' Superman stories
- Tulip Olsen, the main character in Book One of the animated anthology series Infinity Train
See also edit
This page lists people with the surname Olsen.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.