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Olene
How to Pronounce Olene
Pronounced oh-LEEN /oʊˈliːn/Medium
Meaning: Olene is most likely an -ene elaboration of Ola or Olena, feminine names tied to the Old Norse Olav/Olaf, 'ancestor's descendant.' Built in the fashionable -ene mold of its era, it inherits that Norse sense on the Ola reading. Its exact source is not fully documented.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Olene is an early-twentieth-century American name, most plausibly an -ene extension of Ola or Olena, feminine forms linked to Old Norse Olav, 'ancestor's descendant.' The -ene suffix was highly fashionable in the decades around 1920, shaping names like Arlene and Darlene. On that reading Olene carries the Norse sense; its precise origin, though, is not firmly recorded.
The name crested near 1922 and stayed uncommon, worn by roughly thirteen hundred girls before fading by the early 1960s. An Olene named at the peak would be past a hundred today, a great-grandmother-era name. It has not revived and reads as a genuine period piece of the -ene vogue.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Olene mean?
Olene is likely an -ene form of Ola or Olena, tied to a Norse root meaning 'ancestor's descendant'; the origin is not fully certain.
How do you pronounce Olene?
It's said oh-LEEN /oʊˈliːn/ — two syllables, stress on the second.
Is Olene a boy or girl name?
Olene is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Olene?
Olene was an uncommon vintage name that crested in the nineteen-twenties and has been rare since.