Olsen (surname)

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 Ola". 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:

• Andrea Olsen (born 1961), American politician
• Angel Olsen (born 1987), American singer.
• Anton Olsen, Spanish–American War Medal of Honor recipient
• Ben Olsen (born 1977), American soccer player
• Bjørnar Olsen Norwegian archaeologist
• Brian Olsen (born 1975), American mixed martial artist
• Carsten Olsen, Danish plant ecologist and physiologist
• Charles Olsen, 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
• 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
• Jens Olsen (1872–1945), Danish clockmaker and locksmith
• John Olsen (born 1928), Australian artist
• John Olsen, 42nd Premier of South Australia
• Ken Olsen (1926–2011), American engineer, co-founder of Digital Equipment Corporation
• Kirsten Olesen (born 1949), Danish actress
• Kristoffer Olsen (1883–1948), a Norwegian sailor who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics
• 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
• 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
• Robin Olsen, (born 1990), Swedish football goalkeeper
• Scott Olsen (born 1984), American Major League Baseball pitcher for the Florida Marlins
• 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 (born 1924), Norwegian long-distance runner
• Olsen Brothers, Danish rock/pop music duo

Fictional characters with the surname include:

• 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