girl's name
Olga
OL-guh
- Origin Russian
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 87,923
Scotland
#840
2016 births
Olga is a Norse name in Russian dress — Helga traveled east with the Varangians and became Olga, so the patron saint of Kyiv and Moscow carries a Scandinavian word meaning holy. It peaked in 1918, and holds 87,670 lifetime births.
- Olga is a name of Russian origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 1,691 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 66,309 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Olga over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,116 |
| 1890s | 2,997 |
| 1900s | 3,172 |
| 1910s | 11,750 |
| 1920s | 12,837 |
| 1930s | 4,975 |
| 1940s | 4,040 |
| 1950s | 5,660 |
| 1960s | 4,759 |
| 1970s | 3,648 |
| 1980s | 2,690 |
| 1990s | 2,117 |
| 2000s | 1,382 |
| 2010s | 610 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 317 |
What Olga means
Olga means holy, or blessed. The Old Norse heilagr means consecrated or set apart, so the sense is sacred rather than morally good. The sense passes into the modern name unchanged.
Where Olga comes from
Olga is the Russian form of the Old Norse Helga, feminine of Helgi, from heilagr — holy, in the sense of consecrated. It traveled east with the Varangians, the Norse who founded the Rus. Saint Olga of Kyiv ruled as regent from 945 and is remembered both for converting to Christianity and for an extended revenge on the Drevlians who killed her husband, which the chronicles describe in some detail. The masculine Oleg is the same name.
Olga in use
Olga peaked in the United States in 1918, when 1,691 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 919th in France on 40 births, 3174th in the United States on 39 and 4401st in England and Wales, across 87,923 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. France ranks it well above both English-speaking markets.
How popular is Olga?
In 2025, Olga was given to 50 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Olga is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Olga
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Olga also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Olga over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Olga
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Olga in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Olga
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Olga — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Olga
What does the name Olga mean?
Holy, in the sense of consecrated — the Old Norse heilagr.
Is Olga a Norse name?
Yes. Helga traveled east with the Varangians and became Olga in Slavic use.
Who was Saint Olga of Kyiv?
A tenth-century regent, remembered for her conversion and for an extended revenge the chronicles describe in detail.
How popular is Olga?
919th in France, its strongest market, and 3174th in the United States.
Is Olga a girl's or a boy's name?
Olga is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Olga?
Olga has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Olga?
Olga is usually shortened to Olya.
Is Olga a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Olga currently ranks #919 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.