Find out how popular the last name Olver is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Olver.
Scottish surname derived from the first name Oliver.
Olver, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Olver surname is from the 2010 census data.
Olver is the 31587th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Olver surname appeared 732 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Olver.
We can also compare 2010 data for Olver to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 31587 | 31271 | 1.01% |
Count | 732 | 701 | 4.33% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.25 | 0.26 | -3.92% |
The surname Olver has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English personal name "Alfar," which means "elf counsellor" or "elf ruler." This name likely originated from the Anglo-Saxon tradition of associating elves with wisdom and magic.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Olver can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire in 1214, where a person named Alfar de Olveston is listed. Olveston is a village in Gloucestershire, and the name Olver is thought to have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone from this area.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Olfar, Olver, and Olfer, in records from counties like Somerset, Dorset, and Wiltshire. This suggests that the name was widespread in the southwestern region of England during this period.
One notable individual with the surname Olver was John Olver, a Member of Parliament for Bedwyn in Wiltshire during the late 15th century (born around 1450). Another early record is of William Olver, who was born in Somerset around 1520 and served as a wealthy merchant in Bristol.
In the 17th century, the name Olver is found in parish records from Devon, where a family of Olvers resided in the village of Buckerell. Thomas Olver (1612-1688) was a prominent member of this family and served as a churchwarden in Buckerell.
During the 18th century, the Olver surname appears in various parts of England, including London and the counties of Cornwall, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. One notable figure was James Olver (1734-1809), a wealthy merchant from Bristol who became a prominent figure in the city's civic affairs.
As the centuries progressed, the Olver name continued to be found across various regions of England, with individuals making their mark in various professions, such as law, medicine, and the military. Some examples include Captain John Olver (1765-1837), an officer in the British Army, and Sir Peter Olver (1825-1898), a distinguished lawyer and judge.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Olver.
The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Olver was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 91.12% | 667 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 2.46% | 18 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 2.19% | 16 |
Hispanic Origin | 3.69% | 27 |
Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Olver has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 91.12% | 91.01% | 0.12% |
Black | 2.46% | 2.14% | 13.91% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | 2.19% | 2.28% | -4.03% |
Hispanic | 3.69% | 4.42% | -18.00% |
The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.
The history and meaning of the name Olver was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Olver, please contact us.
We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.
If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!
<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/olver-surname-popularity/">Olver last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Olver last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/olver-surname-popularity/.
"Olver last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/olver-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024
Olver last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/olver-surname-popularity/.
Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.
Simple as that.