Gender: Boy
Meaning: Olive tree — a symbol of peace and fruitfulness
Origin: Latin Olivarius, or possibly Old Norse Áleifr (ancestor's relic)
Popularity: Ranked #3 in 2024 with 15,343 babies born.
History: Oliver has deep medieval roots in England and France, carried by saints and literary characters alike. Charles Dickens cemented its literary charm with Oliver Twist in 1838. After fading in the mid-20th century, Oliver staged one of the great baby-name comebacks, rocketing to #1 in Australia, the UK, and Canada before cracking the U.S. top 3 in the 2020s. It perfectly captures the vintage-yet-fresh trend parents love today.
Famous people named Oliver: Oliver Stone (director), Oliver Queen (DC Comics), Oliver Twist (Dickens character), Oliver Hudson (actor)
Name length: 6 letters
How common is Oliver? About 1 in 217 babies born in 2024 were named Oliver, or roughly 42.1 per day in the United States.
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