Olive
Girl name · Celtic · English · Irish · Latin
Meaningolive tree · Latin
- US rank
- #197
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #82 in 1893
1,597 babies were named Olive in the US in 2025. It has dropped 2 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million girls, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Olive you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Olive
Olive Schreiner
South African author and pacifist (1855-1920)
Choose Olive and your child shares a first name with Olive Schreiner, a South African author and pacifist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Olive, like who?” Olive Schreiner's Wikipedia article is available in 40 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Olive Schreiner on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 1,006 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Olive, 1,597 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Olive would very likely be the only one.
- HistoryOlive has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Olives, and counting.
- Best yearIts best year was 1893, when it reached #82.
- Then vs nowOlive is 51× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 51,813 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 1,006.
- Where it's lovedOlive is most popular in Alaska, where it ranks #70, followed by Utah (#71) and Vermont (#75). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn Latin, Olive means “olive tree”. Our records link it to Celtic, English and Irish roots.
About the name Olive
Olive is a girl name of Celtic, English and Irish origin meaning “olive tree”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with O and ending in “-ive”. US birth records list Olive for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1893, when it ranked #82 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #197, with 1,597 babies.
Origin:Celtic namesEnglish namesIrish namesLatin names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,618 | 382 girls |
| 1890s | 2,580 | 388 girls |
| 1900s | 2,074 | 482 girls |
| 1910s | 1,542 | 648 girls |
| 1920s | 907 | 1,103 girls |
| 1930s | 332 | 3,011 girls |
| 1940s | 105 | 9,557 girls |
| 1950s | 33 | 30,637 girls |
| 1960s | 14 | 72,150 girls |
| 1970s | 7.9 | 126,422 girls |
| 1980s | 5.5 | 182,482 girls |
| 1990s | 7.8 | 127,389 girls |
| 2000s | 84 | 11,947 girls |
| 2010s | 614 | 1,630 girls |
| 2020s | 1,028 | 973 girls |
More Celtic girl names
- Girl name: Evelyn · possibly desired
- Girl name: Isla · from Islay
- Unisex name: Riley · rye clearing
- Girl name: Maeve · she who intoxicates
- Unisex name: Kennedy · helmeted head
- Unisex name: Quinn · descendant of Conn
- Unisex name: Blair · plain, field
- Unisex name: Rory · red king
Questions about the name Olive
What does the name Olive mean?
Olive means “olive tree” in Latin.
What is the origin of the name Olive?
Olive has Celtic, English, Irish, Latin roots in our records. Other Celtic names include Evelyn, Isla, Riley.
Is Olive a boy or girl name?
Olive is a girl name, though a few boys get it too.
How popular is the name Olive?
Olive ranked #197 for US girls in 2025, given to 1,597 babies. Its best year was 1893 (#82).