FastNamesOliver
Latin, French and Germanic name meaning "Derived from Old French Olivier, rooted in Latin olivarius ('olive tree' or 'olive planter', symbol of peace), or influenced by Germanic Alfihar ('elf host').". Ranked 3rd for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Oliver
Derived from Old French Olivier, rooted in Latin olivarius ('olive tree' or 'olive planter', symbol of peace), or influenced by Germanic Alfihar ('elf host').
Linguistically, Oliver is classified under Latin, French and Germanic naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "OL-ih-vər".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Oliver has been given to a total of 269,903 boys. It has also been given to 777 girls.
Peak year: Oliver reached its highest relative share among boys in 2024, when 15,396 babies received the name (8,936 per million births).
All-time best rank: 3rd place, first achieved in 2019.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 3rd with 14,939 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 19th (up 16 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named Oliver in the 2010s than in any other decade (98,160 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,287 |
| 1890s | 2,035 |
| 1900s | 2,088 |
| 1910s | 8,657 |
| 1920s | 10,900 |
| 1930s | 6,709 |
| 1940s | 6,057 |
| 1950s | 4,987 |
| 1960s | 3,340 |
| 1970s | 3,732 |
| 1980s | 4,153 |
| 1990s | 6,570 |
| 2000s | 20,935 |
| 2010s | 98,160 |
| 2020s | 89,293 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Oliver is most common in the US
Accounting for when Oliver was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Vermont: 2.2 times the national rate (691 births since 1910).
- Alaska: 1.6 times the national rate (699 births since 1910).
- New Hampshire: 1.6 times the national rate (1,230 births since 1910).
- Utah: 1.5 times the national rate (4,587 births since 1910).
- Maine: 1.5 times the national rate (1,285 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Oliver?
About 230,000 living American boys and men share the name Oliver. Additionally, an estimated 510 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named Oliver is 8 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Oliver
Oliver entered Western European culture through the Old French epic La Chanson de Roland (The Song of Roland, c. eleventh century), where Olivier was the wise, prudent, and heroic companion of the fiery Roland. Onomastic scholars trace the name to Latin olivarius ('olive tree' or 'olive grower'), invoking the ancient Mediterranean olive branch as a sacred symbol of peace, fruitfulness, and divine blessing.
Following the Norman Conquest, Oliver became popular across medieval England. Although its usage dipped somewhat in the seventeenth century due to royalist antipathy toward Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, it retained immense literary and cultural charm, memorably revived by Charles Dickens's beloved novel Oliver Twist (1838).
In twenty-first-century United States vital statistics, Oliver staged one of the most meteoric rises in American history. Ascending from outside the national top 400 in 1990, it entered the top fifty in 2012 and rocketed into the top ten in 2017, reaching rank 3 nationwide with over 14,000 newborn boys per year, celebrated for its gentle, rhythmic cadence and rich literary classicism.
Notable people named Oliver
- Oliver Stone (1946–), American Academy Award-winning film director and screenwriter
- Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), English military leader and Lord Protector of the Commonwealth
- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841–1935), American jurist and Supreme Court Associate Justice
- Oliver Sacks (1933–2015), British neurologist, naturalist, and author
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 209.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 233.
- Douglas Harper. Online Etymology Dictionary. Reference link.