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Boy · Old French
Oliver
Say it: OL-iv-er
Meaning
Uncertain; linked to Latin oliva 'olive' or to Norse Óleifr.
Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.
Popular in medieval England via the Song of Roland.
Its wave through time
A revival, back after decades away
In the United States
- 195,251 babies given this name since 1880
- At its height in 2020, about 1 in 121 boys
- 14,170 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- The Colonial Americas1500 to 1800
- The Modern Age1880 to today
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Olivier
| French | Olivier |
|---|---|
| Italian | Oliviero |
| Spanish | Oliverio |
| German | Oliver |
Famous bearers
- Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector
- Oliver, companion of Roland in The Song of Roland
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Well-known works of literature
- Medieval European charters and records
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.