Olson (also Olsson, Oleson, Olsen) is a common patronymic surname of Scandinavian origin that literally means "son of Olaf or Ole". Olson may refer to: == Academics == Eric T. Olson (philosopher), American-born professor of philosophy Hope A. Olson, library scholar known for her critical analyses of classification systems James C. Olson (1917–2005), American historian and 17th president of the University of Missouri System James S. Olson, American professor of history at Sam Houston State Univ…