Oliver

Latin
"olive tree or elf army"

Oliver Origin and Meaning

The name Oliver is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "olive tree or elf army".

Oliver is an international star, ranking near the top of the charts in the US and throughout the English-speaking world, along with a host of European and Latin American countries, from Norway to Chile, Slovenia to Switzerland.

Long a popular choice in England, Australia and New Zealand, Oliver entered the list of Top 100 baby boy names in the U.S. for the first time in 2009, but has already jumped to the top of the charts. Why? Because Oliver is energetic and good-natured, stylish but classic, with a meaning symbolizing peace and fruitfulness.

Oliver derives from Olivier, the Norman French variation of the Ancient Germanic name Alfihar ("elf army") or the Old Norse Áleifr ("ancestor's relic"), from which comes Olaf. Olivier emerged as the dominant spelling for its associations with the Latin word oliva, meaning "olive tree."

Oliver was used as a given name in medieval England after the spread of the French epic poem ‘La Chanson de Roland,’ which features a character named Olivier. It lost favor after the seventeenth century rule of Oliver Cromwell, then was revived in the nineteenth century.

Oliver's biggest boost in this country came from the hit book and movie Love Story, which also catapulted the name Jennifer to stardom. Notable namesakes range from Oliver Wendell Holmes to Oliver Hardy to Oliver Stone. In fiction, there is Oliver Twist, and Oliver is also a Harry Potter name.

Oliver works particularly well with single-syllable surnames, as in Oliver Stone, North and Puck (son of Wolfgang). Other celebrities who have chosen Oliver include Bridget Fonda, Fred Savage, Stephen Stills, and Taylor Hawkes.

International forms include the French Olivier, the Spanish Olivero, and the Italian Oliviero.

Parents considering Oliver for their sons might consider that with Olivia at the top of the charts for girls, there will be an awful lot of children with names starting with Oliv-.

# 3 in the US

Oliver Rank in US Top 1000

# 15 on Nameberry

Oliver Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Oliver Popularity

Famous People Named Oliver

  • Oliver Cromwell
    Lord Protector of Britain
  • Oliver Stark
    British actor
  • (William) Oliver Stone
    American film director
  • Norvell "Oliver" Hardy
    American comic
  • Oliver Wendell Holmes
    American physician and writer
  • Oliver Goldsmith
    Irish novelist, playwright and poet
  • Oliver Scott "Oli" Sykes
    lead vocalist of British band Bring Me The Horizon
  • Oliver Marach
    Austrian tennis player
  • (Robert) Oliver Reed
    English actor
  • Oliver Phelps
    American war hero
  • Oliver James Platt
    American actor
  • Oliver Graham Chris
    English actor
  • (Oliver) Burgess Meredith
    American actor
  • Oliver Lodge
    English physicist and writer
  • Jamie Oliver
    English celebrity chef
  • Oliver "Olly" Murs
    English musician
  • Oliver Martyn John Phelps
    English actor, twin brother to actor James Phelps
  • Oliver Jackson
    Cohen, English actor
  • Oliver Coleman
    English Actor
  • Oliver Prinz von Anhalt
    son of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor
  • Oliver Alexander "Olly" Thornton
    British actor and lead singer for the band Years & Years
  • Oliver (born William Oliver Swofford)
    American pop singer
  • Oliver "Oli" White
    British YouTuber
  • Oliver Rutledge Hudson
    American actor, son of actress Goldie Hawn and brother of Kate Hudson
  • Oliver Hackett (b. 1974)
    son of guitarist Steve Hackett of Genesis
  • Oliver Miller Bernsen (b. 1989)
    son of actor Corbin Bernsen
  • Oliver Saunders (b. 1991)
    son of actress Garcelle Beauvais and Daniel Saunders
  • Oliver Bacharach (b. 1993)
    son of songwriter Burt Bacharach
  • Oliver Ragland Stills (b. 2004)
    son of musician Stephen Stills
  • Oliver Watson (b. 2005)
    son of actor Barry Watson and TV presenter Tracy Hutson
  • Oliver Chevallier (b. 2005)
    son of TV presenter Michaela Strachan and Nick Chevallier
  • Oliver Philip Savage (b. 2006)
    son of actor Fred Savage
  • Oliver Shane Hawkins (b. 2006)
    son of drummer Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters
  • Oliver Wolfgang Puck (b. 2006)
    son of celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck
  • Oliver McLanahan Phillips (b. 2007)
    son of actress Julie Bowen and Scott Phillips
  • Oliver Lange (b. 2007)
    son of TV presenter Carrie Bickmore and Greg Lange
  • Oliver Lennon (b. 2009)
    son of actor/comedian Thomas Lennon
  • Oliver Michael Jacobs (b. 2011)
    son of actress Sarah Lancaster and Matthew Jacobs
  • Oliver Egan (b. 2012)
    son of TV chef Kelsey Nixon and Robby Egan
  • Oliver Neil Allen (b. 2013)
    son of singer Kris Allen
  • Oliver Gunnar Franzén (b. 2013)
    son of ice hockey player Johan Franzen
  • Oliver James "Ollie" Lanning (b. 2013)
    son of American family vloggers Bryan & Missy Lanning
  • Oliver Finlay Dallas (b. 2014)
    son of actors Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas
  • Oliver Levon Myers (b. 2016)
    son of singer Zach Myers of Shinedown
  • Wyatt Oliver Olsen
    son of actor Eric Christian Olsen
  • Oliver Francis Followill (b. 2018)
    son of American rock drummer Nathan Followill, brother to Violet Marlowe
  • Oliver Julian "Ollie" Patrick (b. 2018)
    son of American YouTube personalities Matthew and Stephanie Patrick
  • Oliver Rhett “Ollie” Fisher (b. 2020)
    son of YouTube personalities Kyler and Madison Fisher

Oliver in Pop Culture

  • "Oliver Twist
    " novel by Charles Dickens and its main character
  • Oliver
    cat in "Oliver & Company,"
  • Oliver Barrett IV
    character in book/movie "Love Story"
  • Cousin Oliver Tyler
    character on TV's "The Brady Bunch"
  • Oliver Welles
    character on TV's "Slings and Arrows"
  • Oliver Jonas "Ollie" Queen aka the Green Arrow
    DC Comics superhero
  • Oliver Wendell Douglas
    main character on TV's Green Acres"
  • Dr. Oliver Threadson
    character from season 2 of TV's "American Horror Story"
  • Oliver Oaken
    character on TV's "Hannah Montana"
  • Oliver Wood
    character in the Harry Potter series
  • Oliver Rivers
    character in J.K. Rowling's "The Original Forty"
  • Oliver Trask
    character on TV's "The OC"
  • Oliver Bird
    character in Marvel Universe
  • Oliver Melendy
    character in the Melendy series by Elizabeth Enright
  • Oliver
    English Vocaloid voice bank
  • Oliver
    character in Shakespeare's As You Like It
  • Oliver Deacon
    character from video game 'Ace Attorney'
  • Oliver
    a character in "Mighty Med"
  • Oliver McKinley
    character in "Althea and Oliver" by Cristina Moracho
  • Oliver Hampton
    character on TV's "How to Get Away with Murder,"
  • Prince Oliver
    son of Queen Wendy & King Loki in Amanda Hocking's Trylle series short story Ever After
  • Oliver Sullivan
    father of Cassiopeia & Samuel in "The 5th Wave"
  • Oliver Tate
    character in book/movie "Submarine"
  • Oliver
    main character in video game "Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch"
  • Oliver
    character in the novel/film "Call Me By Your Name"
  • Maxxie Oliver
    character from British TV series "Skins"
  • Oliver's Army
    song by Elvis Costello
  • Oliver "Olly" Bright
    character in Nicola Yoon's book/movie "Everything Everything"