Olliver
Masculine name derived from Old French meaning "olive tree".
Name Census estimates that about 424 living Americans carry the first name Olliver. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Olliver today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olliver births was 2015 (44 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olliver. 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 Olliver with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
424
~ 1 in 808,383 Americans
Peak year
2015
44 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,365
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Olliver: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olliver from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 249 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Olliver remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olliver 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 Olliver during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ollivers live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Pennsylvania, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Olliver, while California, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Olliver
The name Olliver originates from the Old French and Norman French form of the name Oliver, derived from the Old Norse name Áleifr. It is a compound name, with the elements anu (ancestor) and lēifr (descendant or heir). The name Olliver emerged as a variant spelling of Oliver during the medieval period, primarily in England.
In the late 11th century, following the Norman conquest of England, the name Olliver gained popularity among the Norman nobility and was introduced to the British Isles. It was commonly used by Norman families and appeared in various historical records and documents from that time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Olliver can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various forms, including Oliuer and Olivere, indicating its early use and variations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Olliver. One of the most famous was Olliver Cromwell (1599-1658), an English military and political leader who served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1653 until his death.
Another prominent figure was Olliver Goldsmith (1728-1774), an Irish novelist, playwright, and poet best known for his novel "The Vicar of Wakefield" and the play "She Stoops to Conquer." His works were highly influential during the 18th century literary movement.
In the realm of art, Olliver Tanner (1920-2003) was a renowned British painter and printmaker known for his abstract and figurative works. He was a member of the Royal Academy of Arts and had a successful career spanning several decades.
Olliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (1809-1894) was an American physician, poet, and professor. He is remembered for his contributions to medical jurisprudence and for his literary works, including the poetry collection "The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table."
Lastly, Olliver Tambo (1917-1993) was a prominent South African anti-apartheid activist and politician. He served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991 and played a crucial role in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
People
Olliver + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olliver 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
Olliver: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olliver?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 424 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olliver 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 808,383 US residents.
Is Olliver a common name?
We classify Olliver as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 455 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olliver most popular?
The single biggest year for Olliver was 2015, when 44 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olliver is about 10 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 Olliver in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Olliver a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Olliver in the SSA data are male. 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 Olliver still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Olliver 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 Olliver 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 have the name Olliver?
See how many people have the name Olliver on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.