The most popular baby names in the United States right now are peace names — and most parents don't know it.
Olivia (#1, 14,718 babies) and Oliver (#3, 15,343 babies) both trace to the Latin oliva — the olive tree — whose branch has been the universal symbol of peace for over 2,500 years. Together, they account for more than 30,000 babies in 2024 alone, making the olive-branch family the most-used peace names by a wide margin.
Here are the peace names in current American data, from the most popular to the rarest.
Olivia and Oliver — the olive branch
The olive branch appears in Greek mythology (Athena's gift to Athens), in the Hebrew Bible (the dove that returned to Noah's ark with an olive branch after the flood), in Roman iconography, and in the United Nations emblem. The olive branch is peace.
Olivia — #1 (14,718 babies). Latin oliva (olive) + the classical feminine suffix -ia. Olivia has been #1 or #2 since 2018. See long and elaborate names.
Oliver — #3 (15,343 babies). Latin oliva (olive) → Old French Olivier → English Oliver. Oliver was #305 in 2000 and has climbed to #3 through the British vintage revival. See vintage boy names.
Olive — #171 (1,778 babies). The most direct form of the olive name. Olive was rare in 2000 (#3,715 with just 35 babies) and has climbed dramatically — it's a short, botanical name with the same vintage appeal as Ruby and Hazel. See skip-generation names.
| Year | Olive Rank |
|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,715 |
| 2010 | #543 |
| 2015 | #264 |
| 2020 | #196 |
| 2024 | #171 |
Axel — the hidden Absalom
Axel — #78 (4,245 babies). Old Norse and North German form of Absalom. And Absalom — from Hebrew Avshalom: av (father) + shalom (peace) — means "father of peace."
Axel has been climbing steadily from #361 in 2000 to #78 in 2024 — one of the most consistent long-term rises in the boys' chart. The Swedish/Scandinavian association gives Axel a distinct, Nordic character that most parents associate with music (Axl Rose → Axel) rather than with the Hebrew peace-name lineage it actually carries. See Scandinavian names.
Shiloh — place of peace
Shiloh — Girls #260 (1,216 babies), Boys #336 (1,032 babies). Hebrew, generally interpreted as "place of peace" or "the peaceful one." Shiloh was an ancient Canaanite city and a sacred site in Israelite history (the Ark of the Covenant was kept there for generations before Jerusalem). The Battle of Shiloh (1862) is one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War — an irony for a peace name.
The naming trajectory is a textbook celebrity baby effect: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their daughter Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt on May 27, 2006. The name immediately climbed:
| Year | Girls Rank | Boys Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #2,202 | rare |
| 2007 | #788 | rare |
| 2010 | #616 | #1,171 |
| 2015 | #606 | #894 |
| 2020 | #453 | #615 |
| 2024 | #260 | #336 |
Shiloh has been climbing for nearly two decades — it's one of the most durable celebrity-driven naming effects in recent data. Unlike names tied to fictional characters, Shiloh's biblical/place-name backing gives it staying power.
Serenity — calm and peaceful
Serenity — #117 (2,342 babies). English, from Latin serenitas (clearness, serenity, calm) → serenus (clear, unclouded, peaceful). Serenity is the most popular direct "peace meaning" name for girls.
Serenity had a dramatic rise in the 2000s — from #433 in 2000 to #69 by 2020 — then pulled back slightly to #117. The Firefly spaceship Serenity (2002 TV series, 2005 film) may have contributed to its visibility in the 2000s.
See also: Serena — #332 (938 babies), from the same Latin serenus root — the feminine personal name form rather than the abstract noun form.
Solomon — the peace king
Solomon — #417 (765 babies). Hebrew Shlomo, from shalom (peace). The biblical king Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem during a period of unprecedented peace — his name was understood as "the peaceful one." Solomon has been stable around #400–450, slowly climbing from #462 in 2000.
Paxton — peace settlement
Paxton — #288 (1,165 babies). An Old English place name: Latin pax (peace) + Old English tun (settlement, town): "the peaceful settlement." Paxton was #947 in 2000 and has risen to #288 — part of the surname-as-given-name trend that also drove names like Mason, Jackson, and Hudson.
Felix — happy and blessed
Felix — #177 (2,081 babies). Latin felix (happy, fortunate, blessed). Felix is not technically a peace name in the strict etymological sense — felix means happiness and luck rather than pax (peace). But in the classical moral tradition, felix and pax were deeply connected: the blessed, fortunate person was one who lived in peace. Felix the Cat; Pope Felix; Felix Hernandez. Felix has climbed from #377 in 2000 to #177 in 2024 — one of the cleaner vintage-boy-name trajectories currently running.
Frederick — peaceful ruler
Frederick — #423 (741 babies). Old High German Fridurih: frid (peace) + ric (ruler, power): "peaceful ruler." Frederick the Great (Frederick II of Prussia) made this the prototypical German royal name. Frederick Douglass, Frederick Law Olmsted.
Frederick has been in slow decline since its mid-century peak — it was #114 in 1960 and is now #423 — but it may be the next wave of vintage-boy-name revival. Freddie as a nickname has the same British informal appeal that's driving Archie, Theo, and Milo. See nickname names.
Paloma — the dove
Paloma — #971 (267 babies). Spanish for "dove" — and the dove is the second great peace symbol (alongside the olive branch). Paloma Picasso (daughter of Pablo Picasso, the artist who drew the peace dove) is the most famous bearer. Paloma is rare at #971 but climbing.
The Frida connection
Frida — #1,252 (185 babies). Old Norse/Germanic Friðr (peace), the feminine form of the frid-/fred- root that also gives Frederick. Frida Kahlo is the most famous bearer. See also: Freya (Old Norse Freyja, goddess of love and fertility) at #160, which shares Norse naming traditions but traces to different roots.
The olive-branch monopoly
The most striking finding in the data: the most popular peace names aren't names that explicitly mean "peace" — they're the olive-branch names (Olivia, Oliver, Olive) that have risen to the top of the chart on the strength of sound, elegance, and vintage appeal.
Parents choosing Olivia in 2024 are not choosing it for its peace symbolism. But the olive-branch names are now so dominant — #1 and #3 on the US chart — that the names most associated with peace in Western culture are also the most popular names in American history.
Peace, accidentally, is the name of the era.
Explore: Olivia · Oliver · Olive · Axel · Shiloh · Solomon · Serenity
Data: SSA 2024 US release. Etymology from Latin, Hebrew, Old High German, and Old Norse sources.