Oliver
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Meaning
from Old French Olivier, possibly from Latin oliva, "olive tree," or from an older Germanic name reshaped to resemble it
Goes by Ollie. See all nicknames
The story
Oliver reached English through Old French Olivier. One possible source is Latin oliva, "olive tree." Another is an older Germanic name that was reshaped to resemble the Latin word. The familiar olive-tree meaning belongs to one explanation of a history that remains uncertain.
Medieval literature helped carry Olivier through Western Europe. In The Song of Roland, he is Roland’s friend and adviser. When he sees the strength of the enemy, Oliver urges Roland to blow his horn so Charlemagne can return with his army. Roland refuses because he thinks calling for help would bring shame.
Dickens gave another Oliver a very different request to make. In Oliver Twist, the hungry boys in a workhouse, an institution for poor people, draw lots to choose who will ask for more food. Oliver is chosen. The officials treat his request as outrageous, and the master strikes at him with a ladle. The name revived in nineteenth-century England, perhaps partly because of the novel.
Ollie is a familiar short form of Oliver. It is also used for Olivia and Olive, so that everyday form has more than one longer name behind it.
How popular is Oliver around the world?
In the United States, 89,447 babies were named Oliver between 2020 and 2025. In Norway, 343 boys were given the name Oliver in 2025.
Oliver is on the official records of the United States, Norway, South Australia, Scotland, England and Wales, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, Austria, Argentina, New South Wales, Chile, Mexico City, Puerto Rico, Spain, Poland, France, Montevideo and Brazil.
Oliver crosses languages: it is in the latest top 300 of an English-speaking birth record and of a Spanish-speaking one. The full list: English and Spanish
United States
1 in 240
In the United States, 89,447 babies were named Oliver between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Oliver peaked in the 2020s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Norway
1 in 81register 2026
In Norway, 343 boys were given the name Oliver in 2025.
share of the boys on the register for that year, SSB’s own figure
People who have or have had a Norwegian ID number, emigrants left out, from Statistics Norway’s name statistics (release of January 2026): by year of birth for 1945–2020 (everyone born that year who was ever registered in Norway, including people who registered later and people who have since died) and by year of naming from 2021; only first names carried by 200 or more living people are listed, counts under 4 are withheld, and SSB merges spellings that differ only by letters outside the Norwegian alphabet. The shares are SSB’s own, of the people of that sex and year in that count; the 2025 figure counts the children named that year, and no year is a count of births. Source: Statistics Norway (SSB), table 10467 (updated 2026-01-28)
South Australia
1 in 1102017
In South Australia, 172 boys were registered as Oliver in 2017.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Scotland
1 in 190
In Scotland, 247 boys named Oliver were registered in 2024, the 7th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
England and Wales
1 in 190
In England and Wales, 3,154 boys named Oliver were born in 2025, the 6th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
New Zealand
1 in 250
In New Zealand, 234 boys named Oliver were registered in 2025.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Ireland
1 in 260
In Ireland, 208 boys named Oliver were born in 2025, the 18th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names
Canada
1 in 290
In Canada, 1,244 boys named Oliver were born in 2024, the 6th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
Austria
1 in 360
In Austria, 211 boys named Oliver were born in 2025, the 40th most common name among boys that year, spellings that differ only by special characters counted together.
share of that year’s births on record
Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)
Argentina
1 in 360
In Argentina, 1,820 newborns were given the name Oliver in 2024.
share of that year’s name registrations
Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024
New South Wales
#2 · 2025
In New South Wales, 464 boys named Oliver were registered in 2025, ranked 2nd in that year’s top 100 for boys.
share of that year’s top-100 registrations
New South Wales (not all of Australia) publishes only each year’s 100 most popular names per sex, so a missing year means below that top 100, not rare. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, popular baby names
Chile
1 in 540
In Chile, 329 boys were registered as Oliver in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.
share of that year’s name registrations
First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021
Mexico City City
1 in 580
In Mexico City, there were 203 registrations of Oliver in 2022.
share of that year’s registrations in the city
Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023 (5 registrations through 3 Mar) is excluded as partial. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023
Puerto Rico
1 in 580
In Puerto Rico, 31 babies were named Oliver in 2025, and 212 have carried the name since 1998.
share of that year’s births on record
First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)
Spain
#18 · 2024
In Spain, 24,392 residents are named Oliver, the 132nd most common name among men, with a mean age of 14.7 years.
In Spain, Oliver was the 18th most common name among boys born in 2024.
Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025
Poland
1 in 1,800
In Poland, 134 boys named Oliver were born in 2025, the 115th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)
France
1 in 6,100
In France, about 105 boys named Oliver were born in 2025, the 447th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s births on record
Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)
Montevideo City
1 in 12,0002011
In Montevideo, 2 boys named Oliver were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial
Brazil
1 in 12,000
At the 2022 census, 16,387 people in Brazil were named Oliver, ranked 1,211th, with a median age of 4.
Among people named Oliver living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 2010s than in any other decade.
people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth
The census also counted 8,137 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Oliver
Most people given the name Oliver in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
Names like Oliver · Names that go with Oliver · Nicknames for Oliver · Middle names for Oliver · Scandinavian baby names · Global crossover names
The Oliver deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Oliver truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Oliver fits with your family’s names and surname.
Questions about Oliver
Does Oliver really mean “olive tree”?
Possibly, but not surely. Oliver comes from Old French Olivier, which may derive from Latin oliva, olive tree. Many etymologists instead see an older Germanic name underneath, such as Old Norse Aleifr or Frankish Alawar, respelled to look like the Latin word. So olive tree is the traditional reading, with a Germanic origin as the serious rival.
Source: Behind the Name
What middle names go with Oliver?
Mark (a single beat to anchor Oliver's 3), Blaise (a single beat to anchor Oliver's 3), and Vince (a single beat to anchor Oliver's 3). The full list, each pairing with its reason, is on the middle names page for Oliver.
Is Oliver too popular right now?
Oliver is very common right now and still rising. In US Social Security records since 1890, its score for the 2020s is 10 out of 10, up from 3 in the 2000s. The 2020s are its peak so far. Before the 2000s it appears in every decade of the published lists, from 2,035 boys in its thinnest decade to 10,900 in the 1920s.
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