2000
#31,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.26
Very Rare Last name
Olver
Scottish surname derived from the first name Oliver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 852 Americans carry the last name Olver. That puts it at #33,067 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 402,294 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Olver 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 Olver with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
852
1 in 402,294
Census rank
#33,067
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
743
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 743 bearers of the surname Olver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 33067th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Olver, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Olver
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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Olver
Among Census respondents with the surname Olver, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Olver 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 Olver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 631
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 52
- Two or more races3.9% · 29
- Black or African American3.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Olver
Olver 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
#31,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 732
+31 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 316 places
2020
#33,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 743
+11 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 1,480 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,271 | 701 | 0.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,587 | 732 | 0.25 | +31 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 316 places |
| 2020 | #33,067 | 743 | 0.25 | +11 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 1,480 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 Olver 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 | #31,587 | #33,067 | -4.7% |
| Count | 732 | 743 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.25 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Olver bearers went from 732 to 743 (+1.5% change). The surname moved down 1,480 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,587 to #33,067.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Olver
FAQ
Olver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Olver?
Name Census estimates that about 852 living Americans carry the surname Olver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 402,294 residents.
How common is Olver?
Olver ranks #33,067 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 743 people with the surname Olver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (852), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Olver.
Has Olver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Olver went from 732 recorded bearers to 743. That is an increase of 11 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,587 to #33,067.
What does the Census say about the background of Olver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Olver, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Olver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (631 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Olver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Olver (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 Olver mean?
Scottish surname derived from the first name Oliver. 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 Olver (0.25 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 share the surname Olver?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.