Surname Ohlson - Meaning and Origin

Ohlson: What does the surname Ohlson mean?

The last name Ohlson is of Scandinavian origin, specifically Swedish, and it's a patronymic name derived from the personal name "Olof" or "Olaf", which means "ancestor's descendant". The suffix "-son" in Scandinavian countries often denotes "son of", thus Ohlson can be interpreted as "son of Olof" or "son of Olaf". This type of last name was commonly given in honor of a male ancestor. As families and generations grew, these surnames were passed down to keep the ancestor's memory alive. Across countries and periods, the spelling of this surname may vary quite a lot, with versions such as Oleson, Olson, Olausson, Olsson, and others, all meaning essentially the same. It is widespread in countries that had significant Swedish migration, such as the United States and Canada.

Ohlson: Where does the name Ohlson come from?

The last name Ohlson is most common today in the Scandinavian region of Northern Europe. In Sweden, it is the 39th most common surname with over 8,000 people having this last name. In Norway it is the 72nd most common surname, and one of the most common name in Iceland, with over 8,500 people having the name. The name is believed to derive from the Scandinavian word “ol” meaning ale or beer, combined with the suffix “-son”, thus literally meaning “beer-son” or “at the ale-house”. The name is also found in England, where it is not a common name, and it is more common in the US than it is in the UK. In the US, Ohlson ranks 12,809th in terms of frequency and is primarily concentrated in the upper Midwest states of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. It is also found in the Rocky Mountain states, including Colorado, Utah, and Idaho, as well as in the Pacific Northwest.

Variations of the surname Ohlson

The variants and surnames of Ohlson are Ohlyson, Oleson, Olssen, Olsson, Oulsen and Uhleson.

Ohlson is a Swedish and Norwegian surname which derived from the medieval personal name 'Auls', which is an Old Norse name composed of the elements anu, meaning "ancestor”, and salr, meaning “hall”.

The various early spellings of the surname include Ols, Oles, Ouels, Owes, Ulls and Ules. The last name Ohlson falls into the category of patronymic surnames, which were derived from the given name of the father of the initial bearer.

Hebridean spellings of Ohlson include the forms Ollasone, Ollasoun, Oleasone, Olesone, Oluson, and Olusone. Fram Viking times, the Scandinavian naming tradition has been fairly stable. While Scandinavian countries are still antenor- Maiden names are now often used.

In America, Norwegian immigrants often had their last names Americanised, which is why it is not uncommon to find the descendants of the original Ohlson family members with variants of the name like Hoelscher, Oleson, Usle, and Owsley, as well as spellings such as Olie, Olsen, Ols, Ulsch, and the popular Oleson.

The surname Ohlson is an occupational name, referring to the ancient Nordic term for "friend of Olaf" and is shared by many families throughout the United States and Canada. It has also been found in Scotland, France and other European countries.

Famous people with the name Ohlson

• Bob Ohlson: The American football coach, who held the head coaching position at Grambling State University from 1975 to 1982.
• Steve Ohlson: The former American basketball coach who was the head coach at the University of Idaho for five seasons.
• Chris Ohlson: The songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist from Massachusetts, United States.
• Lila Ohlson: The Swedish actress, best known for appearing in the celebrated 1960’s film “The Face of Love”.
• Kalle Ohlson: The Swedish inventor, entrepreneur and aviation enthusiast.
• Kjell Ohlson: The Swedish actor and director, best known for his role in the popular Stockholm-based television series “Andra Avenyn”.
• Ulf Ohlson: The Swedish football player, who played for several top-flight European clubs between 1951 and 1964.
• Sven Ohlson: The Swedish Olympic swimmer, who won silver in the men's 400 metres medley event in the 1948 Summer Olympics.
• Nicklas Ohlson: The professional hockey player from Stockholm, Sweden who currently plays for the KHL team Ak Bars Kazan.
• Henrik Ohlson: The jazz saxophonist, composer and educator from Stockholm, Sweden.

Other surnames

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