Oliver
Boy name · English · Latin · Old German · Old Norse
Meaningolive tree · Latin
- US rank
- #3
- Syllables
- 3
- Peak
- #3 in 2025
14,939 babies were named Oliver in the US in 2025.
Nicknames & spellings
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million boys, 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 Oliver you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Oliver
Oliver Goldsmith
Anglo-Irish writer, poet, and physician (d. 1774)
Choose Oliver and your child shares a first name with Oliver Goldsmith, an Anglo-Irish writer, poet, and physician. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Oliver, like who?” Oliver Goldsmith's Wikipedia article is available in 82 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Oliver Goldsmith on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: After Joshua Reynolds, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 114 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Oliver, 14,939 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, you'd expect to meet about 2 Olivers.
- HistoryOliver has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Olivers, and counting.
- Best yearOliver is at its all-time high right now: #3 in 2025.
- Then vs nowOliver is 18× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 2,008 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 114.
- Where it's lovedOliver is the #1 boy name in 12 states, including Iowa, Idaho and Indiana. It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn Latin, Oliver means “olive tree”. Our records link it to English, Latin and Old German roots.
- OriginOliver is the most popular English boy name in the US. That's out of 7,815 English boy and unisex names in our list.
About the name Oliver
Oliver is a boy name of English, Latin and Old German origin meaning “olive tree”. It has 6 letters and 3 syllables, starting with O and ending in “-ver”. US birth records list Oliver for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2025, when it ranked #3 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #3, with 14,939 babies.
Origin:English namesLatin namesOld German namesOld Norse names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,094 | 478 boys |
| 1890s | 1,787 | 560 boys |
| 1900s | 1,548 | 646 boys |
| 1910s | 1,343 | 744 boys |
| 1920s | 990 | 1,010 boys |
| 1930s | 636 | 1,573 boys |
| 1940s | 415 | 2,410 boys |
| 1950s | 249 | 4,019 boys |
| 1960s | 174 | 5,753 boys |
| 1970s | 226 | 4,420 boys |
| 1980s | 225 | 4,445 boys |
| 1990s | 338 | 2,960 boys |
| 2000s | 1,042 | 960 boys |
| 2010s | 5,251 | 190 boys |
| 2020s | 8,617 | 116 boys |
Other spellings of Oliver
More English boy names
- Boy name: Henry · ruler of the home
- Unisex name: James · supplanter
- Boy name: William · resolute protector
- Boy name: Benjamin · son of the right hand
- Boy name: Jack · God is gracious
- Unisex name: Hudson · son of Hudde
- Unisex name: Julian · of the Julius family
- Unisex name: Cooper · barrel maker
Questions about the name Oliver
What does the name Oliver mean?
Oliver means “olive tree” in Latin.
What is the origin of the name Oliver?
Oliver has English, Latin, Old German, Old Norse roots in our records. Other English names include Henry, James, William.
Is Oliver a boy or girl name?
Oliver is a boy name, though a few girls get it too.
How popular is the name Oliver?
Oliver ranked #3 for US boys in 2025, given to 14,939 babies. Its best year was 2025 (#3).