Olga
Olga was the 3201st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 50 babies. Its best year was 1916, when it ranked 126th; the most babies were born in 1918 (1,691). Over the last ten years it has moved down 321 places. More babies were named Olga in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Russian form of Helga; "holy" · Russian, Old Norse
Say it OHL-guh /ˈoʊlɡə/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,201 girls, down 201 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 50girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19181,691 babies
- Total since 1880
- 62,070babies recorded
What does the name Olga mean?
Olga is the Russian form of the Scandinavian name Helga, brought to Kievan Rus' by Norse settlers. Wiktionary traces it to Old Norse heilagr, "holy, sacred"; DMNES glosses the source as "happy, lucky", an older sense of the same word family. Saint Olga, a ruler of Kievan Rus', made the name popular in Eastern Europe. It reached the US with Slavic immigrants and was most common in the 1910s and 1920s.
Ольга (Old East Slavic, “Olga”)heilagr (Old Norse, “holy, sacred; blessed”)
How sure is this? Probable. Wiktionary glosses the root "holy", DMNES "happy, lucky"; these are related senses of one Germanic root.
Related names: Helga, Olha, Olya.
See also: Scandinavian names, names that mean joy.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Olga', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Helga', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Olga (name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Olga popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 198 since 1914.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,201 | 50 |
| 2020 | #3,000 | 54 |
| 2010 | #2,892 | 60 |
| 2000 | #1,239 | 160 |
| 1990 | #782 | 258 |
| 1980 | #573 | 324 |
| 1970 | #507 | 392 |
| 1960 | #385 | 607 |
| 1950 | #333 | 538 |
| 1940 | #355 | 333 |
| 1930 | #222 | 774 |
| 1920 | #146 | 1,590 |
| 1910 | #180 | 381 |
| 1900 | #156 | 376 |
| 1890 | #157 | 225 |
| 1880 | #216 | 50 |
How popular is Olga, counting every spelling?
Olga has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Olga?
50 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Olga (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Olga born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 167 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Olga.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Olga?
About 22,400 people born in the US named Olga are alive today, with a median age of 59; half are between 42 and 72. That makes Olga a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Olga by state
How common Olga was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (1.5×). In 46 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Olga: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Olga, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Olga · Sibling names for Olga
Questions about the name Olga
What does Olga mean?
Olga means “Russian form of Helga; "holy"” (Russian, Old Norse origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Olga?
Olga was the 3201st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 50 babies. Its best year was 1916, when it ranked 126th; the most babies were born in 1918 (1,691). Over the last ten years it has moved down 321 places. More babies were named Olga in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Olga a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Olga in the US.
Where is Olga most popular?
In 2021–2025, Olga was most common in Texas (0.05 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Washington.