Oliver
Norman French Olivier, either from Germanic Alfihar or from Latin oliva, “olive.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
An olive-branch name borne by one of Charlemagne's paladins and Dickens's Oliver Twist; the 2010s international revival made it a chart-topper across the English-speaking world.
Oliver appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in 37 different years between 1880 and 2025. It spent 9 years inside the top 10. Its biggest year was 2024, when 15,396 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 3 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 3 for boys. All told, 270,680 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other names that share a story: Ollie
Explore Oliver interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,287 | No. 67 |
| 1890s | 2,035 | No. 77 |
| 1900s | 2,088 | No. 92 |
| 1910s | 8,657 | No. 103 |
| 1920s | 10,900 | No. 134 |
| 1930s | 6,709 | No. 170 |
| 1940s | 6,057 | No. 215 |
| 1950s | 4,987 | No. 283 |
| 1960s | 3,340 | No. 410 |
| 1970s | 3,732 | No. 375 |
| 1980s | 4,153 | No. 380 |
| 1990s | 6,570 | No. 340 |
| 2000s | 20,935 | No. 98 |
| 2010s | 98,160 | No. 3 |
| 2020s | 89,293 | No. 3 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.