Alternatives to Oliver

Alexander

Greek

"defending men"

Alexander has been in a Top 25 boys' name in the US for 30 years now. But namers are still attracted to its imposing historic pedigree. Alexander is derived from the Greek name Aléxandros, composed…

River

Nature name

River shares the tranquil feeling of all the water names, and seems to have pretty much escaped its past strong association with River Phoenix and his unfortunate fate. Actor Joaquin Phoenix named…

Elliot

English diminutive of Elias, Greek

"Yahweh is God"

Elliot (which boasts several spellings depending upon how many 'l's or 't's you want to use) is a winner -- it has the ideal quality of being neither too common nor weirdly unique. Elliot had a style…

Felix

Latin

"happy, fortunate"

Felix is one of those ancient but nontraditional names for boys that have come into favor over the past few decades, a favorite of parents who want a masculine name with history and heft that breaks…

Peter

Greek

"rock, stone"

Peter is derived from the Greek Petros, meaning "rock" or "stone." One of the most important figures in the Christian hagiography is Saint Peter, keeper of the Gates of Heaven. Born Simon bar Jonah,…

Victor

Latin

"conqueror"

Victor is one of the earliest Christian names, borne (as Vittorio) by several saints and popes, symbolizing Christ's victory over death. It has been quietly in the Top 200 since 1880, but just…

Oscar

English or Irish

"God spear, or deer-lover or champion warrior"

Oscar is one of the most stylish Old Man Names of our era. While it's softened slightly in popularity over the past 20 years, that may be considered a very good thing. In the nineties and the…

Otto

German

"wealthy"

Otto is cool again. Long a quintessential Old Man Name, Otto has been promoted to trending darling of adventurous baby namers. Like most German names , Otto fell out of favor during and after the two…

Fletcher

English occupational name

"arrow-maker"

Fletcher is a common surname with a touch of quirkiness; it definitely fits into the So Far Out It's In category--and moving further in all the time along with other occupational names from Parker to…

Evander

Scottish; Greek

"bow warrior; strong man"

Evander is a name that could build on the popularity of shorter form Evan, and could work and play well with schoolmates like Zander and Xander. Evander was prominent in Greek and Roman mythology: in…

Alder

English tree name or surname

"old"

The surname-style Alden has been on the rise in the US in recent years, while tree-inspired Rowan is a top choice. Combine this with the popularity of names ending in -er such as Carter and Parker…

Alaster

Alaster is a masculine name of Scottish origin, representing a variant of Alasdair or Alastair, which themselves derive from Alexander. The name ultimately traces back to Greek roots meaning…

Allister

Allister is a variant spelling of Alistair or Alastair, which derived from the Scottish Gaelic form of Alexander. The name ultimately traces back to Greek origins meaning "defender of mankind." This…

Belvedere

Italian

"beautiful view"

Derived from Italian bello "beautiful" and vedere "view", Belvedere is a dramatic name that was used for a cartoon hound dog in George Webster Crenshaw's comic strip by the same name, which ran from…

Callister

Variation of Irish surname MacCallister

"son of Alister"

Can be used either with or without the addition of Mac.

Cassander

Greek

"light of man"

Cassander is the masculine form of Cassandra, and the name of an ancient king of Macedon from the 3rd century BC. It could make a nice alternative to Alexander or a refreshing way to honour a female…

Chevalier

Chevalier is a distinguished masculine name of French origin, literally meaning 'knight' or 'horseman.' Derived from the French word 'cheval' (horse), it historically referred to a knight or a member…

Demeter

Demeter, while historically a feminine name from Greek mythology, has occasionally been used as a masculine name in some contexts. In Greek mythology, Demeter was the powerful goddess of agriculture,…

Zoraver

Variation of Zorawar, Punjabi

"strong, brave"

Form of the striking Sikh name Zorawar on the rise in Canada, which has a substantial Sikh population.

Whittaker

English

"white field"

If you discount the connection to the controversial Whittaker Chambers in the days of the Red Scare, Whittaker is a pleasant enough British surname with the preppyish nickname Whit.