Olivine
A feminine name derived from the olive plant or olive tree.
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the first name Olivine. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Olivine today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olivine births was 2021 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olivine. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Olivine with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
117
~ 1 in 2,929,524 Americans
Peak year
2021
20 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,043
Tracked since 1884
Popularity
Olivine: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olivine from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 60 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
Olivine 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 Olivine 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 Olivine
The given name Olivine has its roots in the French language, originating from the word "olive," which refers to the small fruit of the olive tree. The name likely emerged during the late Middle Ages or the Renaissance period in France.
Olivine is believed to have been inspired by the distinct green color of the olivine mineral, which shares a similar hue with the olive fruit. This connection suggests that the name may have been initially used to describe someone with olive-green eyes or a greenish complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olivine can be found in the 16th century, when it appeared in French birth records. During this time, the name was primarily used in regions of France where olive cultivation was common, such as Provence and the Mediterranean coast.
In the late 17th century, the name Olivine gained popularity among French aristocratic families, who often chose unique and nature-inspired names for their children. This trend helped to spread the name beyond its initial regional boundaries.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Olivine. One of the earliest was Olivine de Champagne (1145-1210), a French noblewoman and courtly lover of the trouvère Chrétien de Troyes. Another famous bearer was Olivine de Lauzon (1632-1680), a French colonist and one of the first European women to settle in what is now Quebec, Canada.
In the 19th century, Olivine Valette (1819-1891) was a French painter and prominent member of the Barbizon School of landscape artists. Olivine Schreiner (1855-1920) was a South African author and activist known for her influential novel "The Story of an African Farm."
More recently, Olivine Merle (1914-2002) was a French actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and stage productions throughout the mid-20th century.
While the name Olivine has retained a certain uniqueness and charm over the centuries, it has never achieved widespread popularity. Nevertheless, its rich history and connections to nature, art, and literature have contributed to its enduring appeal as a beautiful and meaningful given name.
People
Olivine + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olivine 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
Olivine: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olivine?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 117 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olivine 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 2,929,524 US residents.
Is Olivine a common name?
We classify Olivine as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 206 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olivine most popular?
The single biggest year for Olivine was 2021, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olivine is about 9 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 Olivine in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Olivine a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Olivine 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 Olivine still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Olivine 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 Olivine 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 people share the name Olivine?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.