Oliver

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Olivér in HU Hungary.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 10 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Oliver is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name795K records spelled Oliver31 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, Spain, Philippines, United States

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French

  Also written Óliver, Olíver, Ölïvër, Öliver, Olivér

• Arabic given name359K records spelled Oliver3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United Arab Emirates, Oman, United States, United Kingdom

  Also written Olivér

• Danish given name134K records spelled Oliver9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, United States

  Languages: Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Swedish

  Also written Olivér, Ôlivêr, Óliver, Ölivër

• Finnish given name96K records spelled Oliver3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, Sweden, United States, United Kingdom

  Also written Ölïvër, Olivér

• a separate given name59K records spelled Oliver5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, India, Switzerland

  Also written Olivér, Óliver, Òliver, Olíver

• Croatian given name16K records spelled Oliver17 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia, United States

  Languages: Croatian, Macedonian, Serbian

  Also written Оливер, Оливър, Olivér, Óliver

84 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Oliver is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, From Norman Olivier, originally ‘olive grower’; first recorded as John Oliuer of Berwick c.1250. Sometimes earlier forms overlap with Oliphant; may also echo Norse Olaf in the north.

  as a name·Scottish Surnames

• In English, from the French Olivier, probably symbolic from olivier ‘olive branch’; first attested Oliverus 1086 DB

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In English, used in Wales as a surname; cited in Star CP 122 and Monts Eliz.

  as a name·Welsh Surnames

• In English, A male given name from the Germanic languages.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• Mallorca, Ciudad de Mexico, Sofia; olive oil seller

  as a name·Dicionario Sefaradi De SobrenomesDictionary Of Sephardic Surnames Inclusive Cristaos-Novos, Conversos, Marranos, Italianos,…

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Oliver Cromwellb. 1599GBEnglish military and political leader (1599–1658)
• Oliver Goldsmithb. 1728IEAnglo-Irish writer, poet, and physician (d. 1774)
• Oliver Wallaceb. 1887GBEnglish-American composer (1887–1963)
• Oliver Hardyb. 1892USAmerican comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy (1892–1957)
• Oliver Tambob. 1917ZASouth African anti-apartheid activist and politician (1917–1993)
• Oliver Stoneb. 1946USAmerican film director, screenwriter, and producer (born 1946)
• Oliver Bierhoffb. 1968DEGerman association football official and former player
• Oliver Kahnb. 1969DEGerman association football player (born 1969)
• Oliver Minatelb. 1992BRBrazilian footballer
• Oliver Zelenikab. 1993HRCroatian footballer

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 1,743 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Oliver?

We estimate roughly 315 thousand people bear Oliver (counting its spellings and scripts) across 15 countries in our records.

In which country does Oliver have the most bearers?

Oliver is most frequently recorded in Germany, where it is most often spelled oliver.

How common is Oliver compared with other names?

In Germany, Oliver is the 52nd most common given name of 154,506 given names recorded there.

Is Oliver a male or female name?

Oliver is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Oliver mean?

Recorded meaning: From the male personal name Oliver, from Old French Olivier, probably Germanic in origin but later influenced by Latin oliva 'olive'.