Oliver is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Oliver means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Oliver across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Oliver has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Oliver is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “of uncertain meaning, associated with the olive tree”. a name from medieval French epic.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 270,680 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 156,184 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 7,509 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 2,904 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 6,422 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 8,287 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Oliver per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 2024 (15,421/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2010 (8,427/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1975 (537/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2015 (448/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2016 (207/yr).
Oliver has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 2024, when it ranked #3 nationally (given to 19,445 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 2020s.
Elvera · Alvera · Alvar · Alver · Olliver · Olyver · Alvery · Olivera
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