2000
#248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111,641
First available Census row
Per 100,000 41.38
Common Last name
Oliver
A surname derived from the Old French personal name "Olivier," meaning "olive tree," or from the Norse "Áleifr," meaning "ancestor's descendant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125,930 Americans carry the last name Oliver. That puts it at #278 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 36.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,722 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oliver surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Oliver with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126K
1 in 2,722
Census rank
#278
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
36.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109,817 bearers of the surname Oliver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 36.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 278th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oliver, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oliver
The surname OLIVER has its origins in England and is derived from the medieval Norman French name Olivier. This name is believed to have originated from the Old Germanic name Oliverius, which was a compound name formed from the elements "olf" meaning "ancestor's descendant" and "heri" meaning "army" or "warrior." The name was introduced to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
The earliest recorded use of the surname OLIVER can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a record of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as Olivere and is found in various counties in England, including Norfolk, Suffolk, and Oxfordshire.
During the Middle Ages, the surname OLIVER was also associated with several notable figures. One such figure was Oliver de Caux, a Norman knight who accompanied William the Conqueror during the invasion of England in 1066. Another was Oliver of Padua, an English scholar and theologian who lived in the 13th century and is known for his work on the Franciscan Order.
In later centuries, the surname OLIVER continued to be found throughout England and other parts of the British Isles. One notable bearer of the name was Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), the 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 with the surname OLIVER was Isaac Oliver (c. 1565-1617), an English miniature painter who was highly regarded for his portrait miniatures during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname OLIVER was also associated with several literary figures. One such figure was Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774), an Irish novelist, playwright, and poet best known for his works "The Vicar of Wakefield" and "She Stoops to Conquer."
Additionally, the name OLIVER can be found in various place names throughout England, such as Oliver's Mount in Yorkshire, which was named after a person with the surname OLIVER who owned land in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oliver
Among Census respondents with the surname Oliver, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Oliver bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Oliver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.8% · 67,830
- Black or African American26.3% · 28,914
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6,283
- Two or more races4.6% · 5,004
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 963
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 823
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oliver
Oliver appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115,900
+4,259 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 39.29
Rank movement Down 16 places
2020
#278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109,817
-6,083 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 36.74
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #248 | 111,641 | 41.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #264 | 115,900 | 39.29 | +4,259 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 16 places |
| 2020 | #278 | 109,817 | 36.74 | -6,083 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 14 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Oliver surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #264 | #278 | -5.3% |
| Count | 115,900 | 109,817 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 39.29 | 36.74 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oliver bearers went from 115,900 to 109,817 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #264 to #278.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Oliver
FAQ
Oliver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oliver?
Name Census estimates that about 125,930 living Americans carry the surname Oliver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,722 residents.
How common is Oliver?
Oliver ranks #278 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 36.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 37 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109,817 people with the surname Oliver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125,930), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 36.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 36.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 37 of them to have the surname Oliver.
Has Oliver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oliver went from 115,900 recorded bearers to 109,817. That is a decrease of 6,083 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #264 to #278.
What does the Census say about the background of Oliver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oliver, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.3%) and Hispanic (5.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Oliver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.8% (67,830 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oliver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.8%), Black (26.3%), Hispanic (5.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Oliver (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Oliver mean?
A surname derived from the Old French personal name "Olivier," meaning "olive tree," or from the Norse "Áleifr," meaning "ancestor's descendant." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Oliver (36.74 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Oliver?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Oliver on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.