Olivet
A feminine name from French, derived from the olive tree.
Name Census estimates that about 59 living Americans carry the first name Olivet. It is a predominantly female name (95.2% of registrations). The average person named Olivet today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olivet births was 1918 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olivet. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Olivet. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
59
~ 1 in 5,809,396 Americans
Peak year
1918
13 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
1918 SSA rank
#4,624
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Olivet
Olivet leans heavily female at 95.2% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Olivet as a male name
- Ranked #4,624 in 1918
- 5 male births in 1918
- Peak: 1918 (5 births)
Olivet as a female name
- Ranked #10,843 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (12 births)
Popularity
Olivet: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olivet from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 43 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olivet 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 Olivet during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Olivet
The given name Olivet is a variant of the more common name Olive, which has its origins in the Latin word "oliva" meaning "olive tree." This name has been used across various cultures and time periods, reflecting the significance of the olive tree and its symbolic associations.
Olive trees have been cultivated in the Mediterranean region for thousands of years, and their significance can be traced back to ancient civilizations. In ancient Greece, the olive tree was revered and associated with the goddess Athena, who was believed to have introduced it to the region. The olive branch was also a symbol of peace and reconciliation.
The name Olivet may have been inspired by the biblical reference to the Mount of Olives, a ridge located east of Jerusalem's Old City. This location is mentioned in the New Testament as a place where Jesus taught his disciples and is significant in Christian tradition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olivet can be found in the 12th century. Olivet de Verzil was a French nobleman and knight who fought in the Third Crusade alongside King Richard I of England in the late 12th century.
In the 13th century, Olivet de Termini was an Italian philosopher and theologian known for his scholarly works on logic and metaphysics. He was born in Termini Imerese, Sicily, in 1225 and died in Naples in 1293.
During the Renaissance, Olivet Sabuco was a Spanish writer and philosopher who wrote the influential work "Nueva Filosofía de la Naturaleza del Hombre" (New Philosophy of Human Nature) in 1587. Her work challenged traditional Aristotelian philosophy and offered new insights into human psychology and physiology.
In the 17th century, Olivet Cromwell was an English soldier and statesman who played a significant role in the English Civil War. He was born in 1599 and became a prominent figure in the Parliamentarian forces, eventually serving as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1653 until his death in 1658.
Another notable figure with the name Olivet was Olivet de Gouvest, a French Jesuit priest and scholar who lived in the 18th century. He was born in 1671 and is best known for his work on biblical exegesis and his contributions to the study of sacred scripture.
These examples demonstrate the historical use and significance of the name Olivet across different cultures, time periods, and contexts, reflecting its association with the olive tree and its symbolic meanings.
People
Olivet + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olivet 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
Olivet: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olivet?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 59 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olivet 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 5,809,396 US residents.
Is Olivet a common name?
We classify Olivet as "Very Rare". It ranks above 56.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 104 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olivet most popular?
The single biggest year for Olivet was 1918, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olivet is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Olivet in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Olivet a female name?
Yes, 95.2% of people registered as Olivet 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.
Is Olivet still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Olivet in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Olivet can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Olivet?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Olivet at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.