2007-02-01 15:50:08 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
Olson simply means Ole's son. Ole is a Scandinavian name and in the Scandinavian countries, prior to modern times, a son was given his father's name, with the addition of 'son' Thus, John's son would be known as Ole Johnsson. His son would be known as Leif Olesson. The girls were also given their father's names, but they were, respsectively, Johnsdotter, Leifsdotter and Olesdotter.
2007-02-01 16:47:15 · answer #1 · answered by old lady 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Olsen is a Scandinavian patronymic, meaning "son of Ole". The -sen ending would indicate Danish or Norwegian origin, as opposed to -son, which is Swedish.
2007-02-02 09:14:25 · answer #2 · answered by Lieberman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Olsen is a patronymic surname of Scandanavian origin; it simply refers to someone who is the son of Olaf/Olav, thus "Olaf's son." The feminine equivalent would have been something like Olafsdottir ("Olaf's daughter"). According to Ancestry.com, it's the second most-common surname in Norway.
2007-02-01 16:01:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Olsen.....means gathering of the holy choosen people who pass away...thats holiday! Olsen day!
2007-02-01 16:00:21 · answer #4 · answered by rafa 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
From the Old Norse "Oleifr," meaning "son of Olaf," or ancestor's relic.
Your Scandinavian as well as I
2007-02-03 09:09:45 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋