Oliver
Top 1000
About Oliver
Oliver is an international star, ranking near the top of the charts throughout the English-speaking world and in a host of European and Latin American countries, from Norway to Chile, Slovenia to Switzerland. Why? Because Oliver is energetic and good-natured, stylish but classic, with a meaning symbolizing peace and fruitfulness.
Long a popular choice in England, Australia and New Zealand, Oliver entered the US Top 100 for the first time in 2009 and over the next decade, it continued to climb. As of 2024, it had been the third most popular boy name in the US for six years.
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, while in fiction, there's Oliver Twist,
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 and Olive also rising star, there will be an awful lot of children with names starting with Oliv-. For those in the UK, New Zealand, and Ireland, it's also worth bearing in mind that Ollie as a stand-alone name is a high ranking choice, again making Oliver feel even more popular.
That doesn't have to be a bad thing. It makes it a safe, versatile, and solid option, but if you were after something similar in sound but not quite so popular, Solomon 'Solly' , Olsen 'Oli', and Apollo 'Olly' might work, while Oleander, Tolliver, and Ptolemy make rarer options still.
Pronounced AHL-ih-vur.
As of October 2026, Oliver ranked #3 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #3 in 2023, Nameberry popularity #16.
Editor's take: The name Oliver is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "elf army; ancestor's relic; olive tree".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #32 | 9,450 | 4,919.6 |
| 2015 | #19 | 11,667 | 6,086.9 |
| 2016 | #12 | 13,065 | 6,884.5 |
| 2017 | #10 | 13,224 | 7,144.4 |
| 2018 | #5 | 13,499 | 7,432.7 |
| 2019 | #3 | 13,964 | 7,782.8 |
| 2020 | #3 | 14,275 | 8,270.2 |
| 2021 | #3 | 14,707 | 8,406.5 |
| 2022 | #3 | 15,161 | 8,683.2 |
| 2023 | #3 | 14,782 | 8,641.5 |
| 2024 | #3 | 15,343 | 8,905.4 |
| 2025 | #3 | 14,939 | 8,746.1 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Oliver.
Oliver on lists
Famous Olivers
- 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 Bearman
British racing driver
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"