Olga
Olga is a Russian feminine given name of Scandinavian origin. It is the equivalent of Helga, and derived from the Old Norse adjective heilagr. The name was brought by Scandinavian settlers who founded Kievan Rus' in the 9th century.
- Russian
- Polish
- German
- Swedish
Meaning & Origin of Olga
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Olga is a Russian feminine given name of Scandinavian origin. It is the equivalent of Helga, and derived from the Old Norse adjective heilagr. The name was brought by Scandinavian settlers who founded Kievan Rus' in the 9th century.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Russian
- Polish
- German
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- Icelandic
- Finnish
- Estonian
- Latvian
- Hungarian
- Italian
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Romanian
- Czech
- Slovene
- Serbian
- Bulgarian
- Greek
- Slovak
The Story of Olga
The earliest SSA record of Olga as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 50 babies received it. 1918 was its biggest year on record, with 1,691 newborns named Olga — #141 in the national rankings. About 21% of every Olga on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Olga ranks #3,250 for baby girls with 49 births, gradually falling (-6%). All told, over 62K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Olga
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Olga. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Oili
- Olgica
- Olja
- Olya
Names that sound like Olga
Phonetically similar names — useful when Olga is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Olga
What does the name Olga mean?
What is the origin of the name Olga?
How popular is Olga in 2026?
When was Olga most popular?
In which U.S. states is Olga most popular?
Is Olga a unisex name?
What names go well with Olga?
What are nicknames or variants of Olga?
About the name Olga
Olga is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 62K births in the dataset. Olga's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #126. Use the chart and map above to compare Olga's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1918 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "O" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.