Oliva
A feminine name derived from the Latin word for olive tree.
Name Census estimates that about 1,254 living Americans carry the first name Oliva. It is a predominantly female name (98.4% of registrations). The average person named Oliva today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oliva births was 1990 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oliva. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 273,329 Americans
Peak year
1990
34 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
1930 SSA rank
#4,396
Tracked since 1884
Gender
Gender distribution for Oliva
Oliva leans heavily female at 98.4% of total registrations, but 32 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Oliva as a male name
- Ranked #4,396 in 1930
- 5 male births in 1930
- Peak: 1924 (7 births)
Oliva as a female name
- Ranked #6,082 in 2024
- 20 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1990 (34 births)
Popularity
Oliva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oliva from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 293 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Oliva remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oliva by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Oliva during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Olivas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Oliva, while Pennsylvania, Illinois, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oliva
The name Oliva has its roots in the Latin language and is derived from the word "oliva," which means "olive tree" or "olive." This name likely originated during ancient Roman times when olive cultivation was a significant part of the Mediterranean culture and economy.
The olive tree held a symbolic meaning in ancient Roman and Greek civilizations, representing peace, fertility, and abundance. It is possible that the name Oliva was initially given to individuals born during the olive harvest season or those associated with olive cultivation in some way.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Oliva can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who lived from 23 to 79 AD. He documented the use of olive oil in various aspects of Roman life, including medicine, cosmetics, and religious rituals.
In the Middle Ages, the name Oliva gained popularity among Christian communities, particularly in regions where olive trees were abundant, such as Italy, Spain, and parts of France. Saint Oliva, a Benedictine abbess who lived in the 7th century, is one of the earliest known bearers of this name.
Over the centuries, the name Oliva has been carried by several notable figures. One of the most famous was Oliva Sabuco de Nantes Barrera, a Spanish philosopher and writer who lived from 1562 to 1622. She is renowned for her work "Nueva Filosofía de la Naturaleza del Hombre" (New Philosophy of Human Nature), which explored ideas related to medicine and philosophy.
Another prominent figure with the name Oliva was Oliva Levertoff, a Russian-born Hebrew scholar and poet who lived from 1888 to 1987. She made significant contributions to the study of Hebrew literature and helped preserve the cultural heritage of Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.
In the realm of literature, Oliva Dionne was a Canadian novelist and playwright who lived from 1908 to 1986. Her works often explored themes of identity, family, and the struggles faced by women in rural Quebec society.
Oliva Haigh, an English artist and illustrator born in 1824, is also noteworthy for her contributions to the Victorian art world. Her detailed botanical illustrations and paintings showcased her deep appreciation for nature and the beauty of plants.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Oliva throughout history, each leaving a lasting impact in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural heritage associated with this name.
People
Oliva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oliva as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Oliva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oliva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,254 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oliva going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 273,329 US residents.
Is Oliva a common name?
We classify Oliva as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,991 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oliva most popular?
The single biggest year for Oliva was 1990, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oliva is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Oliva a female name?
Yes, 98.4% of people registered as Oliva in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.