Olyvia
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "olive tree".
Name Census estimates that about 2,583 living Americans carry the first name Olyvia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Olyvia today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Olyvia births was 2009 (123 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Olyvia. 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
- • Olyvia is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 18 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.6K
~ 1 in 132,696 Americans
Peak year
2009
123 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,086
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Olyvia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Olyvia from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,061 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olyvia 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 Olyvia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Olyvias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Olyvia, while Virginia, Kansas, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 38 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Olyvia
The name Olyvia has its origins in the Greek language and culture, derived from the ancient Greek word "olea," which means "olive tree." The name is deeply rooted in Greek mythology and symbolism, where the olive tree was revered as a sacred plant associated with peace, wisdom, and fertility.
In ancient Greek texts and legends, the olive tree played a significant role. One notable reference is the myth of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare, who is said to have won the patronage of the city of Athens by gifting them the first olive tree. This act symbolized her desire to bestow upon the city the gifts of peace and knowledge.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Olyvia can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire, where it was used as a feminine form of the male name Olyvios. During this period, from the 4th to the 15th century, the name was popular among the Greek-speaking population of the Eastern Roman Empire.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Olyvia. One of the earliest examples is Olyvia of Byzantium (c. 450 AD), a renowned philosopher and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of rhetoric and logic. Another prominent figure is Olyvia of Thessaloniki (c. 1150-1230), a Byzantine princess and patron of the arts, known for her patronage of monasteries and churches in the region.
In the Renaissance period, the name gained popularity in Italy, where it was often spelled as Olivia. One notable bearer of this variant was Olivia Sabuco de Nantes Barrera (c. 1562-1620), a Spanish philosopher and writer who explored the connection between the human body and soul in her influential work, "Nueva Filosofía de la Naturaleza del Hombre."
During the 17th century, the name found its way to England, where it was embraced by the aristocracy. One famous example is Olivia Porter (1637-1708), a prominent English horticulturist and botanist who made significant contributions to the study and cultivation of plants.
In more recent times, the name Olyvia has been associated with several notable figures, including Olyvia Newton-John (1948-2022), the legendary Australian singer and actress, best known for her role in the iconic film "Grease." Another prominent bearer of the name is Olyvia Munn (born 1980), an American actress and author, known for her roles in television shows and movies such as "The Newsroom" and "X-Men: Apocalypse."
People
Olyvia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Olyvia 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
Olyvia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Olyvia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,583 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Olyvia 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 132,696 US residents.
Is Olyvia a common name?
We classify Olyvia as "Rare". It ranks above 94.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,620 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Olyvia most popular?
The single biggest year for Olyvia was 2009, when 123 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Olyvia is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Olyvia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Olyvia 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.