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Home β€Ί Baby Names Directory β€Ί Olin

Olin

β™‚ Boy

How to Pronounce Olin

Pronounced AHL-in /ΛˆΙ‘l.in/Medium

Meaning: Ancestor's descendantMedium

In 30 seconds: Olin is a Walloon boy's name meaning 'ancestor's descendant', with an old family-line sense.
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Origin MediumWalloon
MeaningAncestor's descendant
U.S. rank (2024)#2143 β†˜ Falling
2024 U.S. births69 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1921
Total births (all-time)β‰ˆ 9,842

Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data

peak 192118802024

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

The name comes from the Walloon tradition and carries the meaning of a descendant of one's ancestors, rooting it in ideas of family and lineage. It has a short, clean two-syllable shape that has traveled well into English-speaking use. Its meaning gives it a quiet sense of belonging to a line that came before.

Two American bearers carry it: Olin Howland, a film and stage actor, and Olin Chaddock Wilson, an astronomer known for studying stellar activity cycles. The variations Ollin and Olli show how easily the name shifts spelling.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Olin is 'ancestor's descendant', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 70%
Behind the Name - Olin β€” etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration β€” 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSV

Variations

OllinOlliHolli

Nicknames

β€”

Famous Bearers

  • β˜…Olin Howland (1886–1959)
    American film and stage actor.
  • β˜…Olin Chaddock Wilson (1909–1994)
    American astronomer who studied stellar chromospheres and activity cycles.

If you like Olin…

Olenβ€” A near-identical English boy's name differing by one vowel.
Orinβ€” a similarly popular pick
Orrinβ€” shares the -in ending
Korbinβ€” lands in the same popularity range
Kelvinβ€” shares the -in ending

Frequently Asked

What does the name Olin mean?

Olin is usually explained as meaning 'ancestor's descendant' and is most often linked with Walloon tradition.

How do you pronounce Olin?

It's commonly said AHL-in /ΛˆΙ‘l.in/.

Is Olin a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Olin is used as a boy name.

How popular is Olin?

In 2024, Olin ranked #2143 in the U.S. for boys, with 69 births recorded.

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