Baby name meaning

Oliver

Olive tree or elf warrior · Norman French origin

Meaning & origin

Oliver is a male name of Norman French origin, meaning “Olive tree or elf warrior”.

How popular is Oliver?

In England & Wales, Oliver ranked #3 among boys' names in 2024, with 3,492 babies given the name, close to its #1 of 2014. Its strongest year in the England & Wales series is 2009, when it reached #1.

In the United States, Oliver was the #3 boys' name in the 2020 data — its best showing in the US series, which samples one year per decade from 1880.

Oliver — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the boys' name Oliver over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 1996 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1950 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,00019501960197019801990200020102024US 1950: #284US 1960: #413US 1970: #428US 1980: #414US 1990: #373US 2000: #305US 2010: #88US 2020: #3England & Wales 2024: #3United StatesEngland & Wales
Oliver’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
Oliver in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
1996#233,655
2000#144,402
2005#55,516
2009#17,364
2010#18,427
2015#16,941
2020#14,225
2024#33,492

Famous Olivers

Names that go well with Oliver

Leo Amelia Henry Charlotte

More on Oliver

Norman French, top-three across the English-speaking world, and torn between olive tree and elf warrior, meet Oliver.

Oliver: olive-tree calm or elf warrior? — Oliver as our Name of the Day.

Swipe & match on Oliver in Settle