Primarily a boy's name · 100% boys
Origin: GermanOliver is a masculine given name of Old French and Medieval British origin. The name has been generally associated with the Latin term olivarius, meaning "olive tree planter", or "olive branch bearer".
From Wikipedia
In Pythagorean numerology, every letter has a value from 1 to 9. Adding the letters of Oliver yields these three numbers — a playful read on the name's character.
My husband grew up in England and insisted on Oliver. I thought it was too English. Then we visited his family in Bristol and I heard how they said it — properly, with that slight roll — and I was converted on the spot.
— Jennifer, Nashville TN, 2018
Named him after Oliver Sacks, the neurologist. We're both doctors and Sacks was kind of a hero to us. Our Oliver is seven now and has zero interest in medicine — he wants to be a chef. We love him anyway.
— Christine & David, Boston MA, 2017
Picked it because my mother couldn't find fault with it. That was genuinely the deciding factor after she rejected eight other names.
— Sam, Chicago IL, 2022
Why did you choose this name — or what does it mean to you? Approved stories appear on this page.
→ See names similar to Oliver · Compare Oliver with another name → · Popular names of the 2020s · Boys names starting with O
Rank is among all boys' names registered that year.
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 234 | #69 |
| 1881 | 238 | #67 |
| 1882 | 244 | #72 |
| 1883 | 219 | #72 |
| 1884 | 245 | #74 |
| 1885 | 258 | #72 |
| 1886 | 230 | #75 |
| 1887 | 203 | #80 |
| 1888 | 206 | #88 |
| 1889 | 210 | #84 |
| 1890 | 218 | #81 |
| 1891 | 212 | #77 |
| 1892 | 238 | #84 |
| 1893 | 214 | #86 |
| 1894 | 222 | #88 |
| 1895 | 216 | #88 |
| 1896 | 194 | #99 |
| 1897 | 174 | #102 |
| 1898 | 186 | #102 |
| 1899 | 161 | #109 |
| 1900 | 256 | #95 |
| 1901 | 187 | #92 |
| 1902 | 181 | #107 |
| 1903 | 210 | #93 |
| 1904 | 200 | #108 |
| 1905 | 211 | #102 |
| 1906 | 183 | #118 |
| 1907 | 207 | #117 |
| 1908 | 207 | #122 |
| 1909 | 246 | #112 |
| 1910 | 307 | #103 |
| 1911 | 333 | #115 |
| 1912 | 646 | #117 |
| 1913 | 644 | #124 |
| 1914 | 861 | #122 |
| 1915 | 1,131 | #119 |
| 1916 | 1,103 | #127 |
| 1917 | 1,175 | #127 |
| 1918 | 1,248 | #130 |
| 1919 | 1,209 | #128 |
| 1920 | 1,164 | #135 |
| 1921 | 1,194 | #135 |
| 1922 | 1,214 | #134 |
| 1923 | 1,221 | #136 |
| 1924 | 1,172 | #140 |
| 1925 | 1,049 | #151 |
| 1926 | 1,065 | #150 |
| 1927 | 1,002 | #157 |
| 1928 | 934 | #161 |
| 1929 | 885 | #163 |
| 1930 | 850 | #170 |
| 1931 | 778 | #175 |
| 1932 | 741 | #182 |
| 1933 | 595 | #199 |
| 1934 | 732 | #181 |
| 1935 | 647 | #197 |
| 1936 | 591 | #205 |
| 1937 | 609 | #200 |
| 1938 | 568 | #216 |
| 1939 | 598 | #203 |
| 1940 | 582 | #215 |
| 1941 | 601 | #219 |
| 1942 | 612 | #228 |
| 1943 | 668 | #217 |
| 1944 | 565 | #239 |
| 1945 | 558 | #239 |
| 1946 | 619 | #251 |
| 1947 | 624 | #271 |
| 1948 | 631 | #258 |
| 1949 | 597 | #272 |
| 1950 | 556 | #284 |
| 1951 | 552 | #294 |
| 1952 | 555 | #302 |
| 1953 | 521 | #314 |
| 1954 | 537 | #310 |
| 1955 | 507 | #327 |
| 1956 | 483 | #341 |
| 1957 | 452 | #358 |
| 1958 | 453 | #363 |
| 1959 | 371 | #413 |
| 1960 | 370 | #413 |
| 1961 | 348 | #426 |
| 1962 | 312 | #450 |
| 1963 | 358 | #427 |
| 1964 | 367 | #422 |
| 1965 | 303 | #446 |
| 1966 | 337 | #412 |
| 1967 | 290 | #444 |
| 1968 | 325 | #428 |
| 1969 | 329 | #437 |
| 1970 | 366 | #428 |
| 1971 | 416 | #396 |
| 1972 | 368 | #412 |
| 1973 | 374 | #403 |
| 1974 | 347 | #421 |
| 1975 | 355 | #408 |
| 1976 | 336 | #425 |
| 1977 | 338 | #431 |
| 1978 | 422 | #375 |
| 1979 | 408 | #396 |
| 1980 | 393 | #414 |
| 1981 | 403 | #410 |
| 1982 | 455 | #380 |
| 1983 | 434 | #385 |
| 1984 | 397 | #416 |
| 1985 | 371 | #442 |
| 1986 | 338 | #472 |
| 1987 | 461 | #405 |
| 1988 | 440 | #428 |
| 1989 | 460 | #439 |
| 1990 | 625 | #373 |
| 1991 | 582 | #390 |
| 1992 | 664 | #356 |
| 1993 | 665 | #355 |
| 1994 | 643 | #370 |
| 1995 | 597 | #393 |
| 1996 | 607 | #386 |
| 1997 | 669 | #367 |
| 1998 | 735 | #356 |
| 1999 | 782 | #340 |
| 2000 | 978 | #305 |
| 2001 | 978 | #299 |
| 2002 | 1,166 | #268 |
| 2003 | 1,374 | #245 |
| 2004 | 1,491 | #228 |
| 2005 | 1,793 | #209 |
| 2006 | 2,352 | #173 |
| 2007 | 2,910 | #140 |
| 2008 | 3,604 | #118 |
| 2009 | 4,287 | #98 |
| 2010 | 4,664 | #88 |
| 2011 | 5,413 | #78 |
| 2012 | 5,922 | #73 |
| 2013 | 7,275 | #52 |
| 2014 | 9,450 | #32 |
| 2015 | 11,667 | #19 |
| 2016 | 13,065 | #12 |
| 2017 | 13,224 | #10 |
| 2018 | 13,499 | #5 |
| 2019 | 13,964 | #3 |
| 2020 | 14,275 | #3 |
| 2021 | 14,707 | #3 |
| 2022 | 15,161 | #3 |
| 2023 | 14,782 | #3 |
| 2024 | 15,343 | #3 |
