Olivier

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Boy · Latin (probably), through Old French

Olivier

Say it: oh-lee-VYAY

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Usually linked to Latin oliva 'olive tree', though some propose a reshaped Germanic name.

Likelythe main view, with some doubt.

Known from the Chanson de Roland and very popular in France in the 1960s–70s.

Its wave through time

In the United States

020406018801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2011per million babies of that sex
  • 1,724 babies given this name since 1924
  • At its height in 2011, about 1 in 24,300 boys
  • 51 babies in 2020

Through the ages

  1. The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
  2. The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

FrenchDutch

The family of the name

EnglishOliver
ItalianOliviero
DutchOlivier

Famous bearers

  • Olivier, Roland's companion in the Chanson de Roland
  • Olivier Messiaen, composer

Names worth a look

Where this comes from

  • Well-known works of literature
  • National birth statistics of European countries 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.