Oliver

maleOld French

Commonly interpreted as 'olive tree', though the true root is debated.

Origin: Old French — From 'Olivier', itself of disputed origin.

Official popularity data is available for 7 regions, from 1959 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #1 in Norway in 2024. See regions.

Oliver: Recorded since 1959, it reached #1 in 2009, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

7registrars recorded it
258times a registrar ranked it
67years from first to last
#1highest recorded position
49groupings it qualifies for
93names it appears alongside

What stands out in Oliver's record

Ranked inside the top 10 by 6 registrars, and #1 in 4 of them. Names by top-10 reach
Held a top-100 place for 43 years running. Names by top-100 run
England and Wales registered 8,427 births with the name in 2010, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count
Held at least one birth in every 2,000 for 31 years. Names by sustained share

OL-iv-er/ˈɒlɪvər/

Compare Oliver Run Name Checker on Oliver

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: CompleteEditorial review: 2026-06-15

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, sources disagree on part of this name's record, recently verified, most expected sections are populated, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

At least one meaning/origin entry records that sources disagree — calculated from that disagreement flag, not an editorial guess.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-06-15), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (7) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: Old French
Meaning: Commonly interpreted as 'olive tree', though the true root is debated.
Pronunciation: OL-iv-er
Syllables: 3
Common nicknames: Ollie
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: male
Language family: Old French

Popularity

Region

Rising

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#23
1997	#24
1998	#20
1999	#19
2000	#14
2001	#12
2002	#10
2003	#6
2004	#7
2005	#5
2006	#4
2007	#3
2008	#2
2009	#1
2010	#1
2011	#2
2012	#2
2013	#1
2014	#1
2015	#1
2016	#1
2017	#1
2018	#1
2019	#1
2020	#1
2021	#2
2022	#4
2023	#3
2024	#3
2025	#6

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

RisingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Norway in 60 of the 67 years from 1959 to 2025.

In 2025: #2 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, #5 among boys in Norway, #6 among boys in England and Wales, #18 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Official data from 7 national registrars across 7 regions, 1959–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1959
First recorded at #478 among boys in Norway in 1959 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #6 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys

Oliver appears in 6 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, with 62 ranked years and 6,422 births registered; the earliest is Norway · Boys, from 1959.

Oliver across 6 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Oliver's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Norway · Boys	#478 (1959)	#1 (2018)	#5 (2025)	60 of 67	9,780 (1959–2025)	452 (2009)
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#68 (1964)	#14 (1975)	#18 (2025)	62 of 62	6,422 (1964–2025)	537 (1975)
New Zealand · Boys	#95 (1983)	#1 (2013)	#2 (2023)	40 of 41	8,287 (1983–2023)	348 (2015)
New South Wales, Australia · Boys	#89 (1989)	#1 (2014)	#2 (2025)	37 of 37	14,730 (1989–2025)	718 (2015)
England and Wales · Boys	#23 (1996)	#1 (2009)	#6 (2025)	30 of 30	156,795 (1996–2025)	8,427 (2010)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#100 (1997)	#3 (2016)	#10 (2024)	28 of 28	2,904 (1997–2024)	207 (2016)

Oliver by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Oliver in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960s	411	6 of 10	69
1970s	1,371	10 of 10	137
1980s	469	10 of 10	47
1990s	230	10 of 10	23
2000s	591	10 of 10	59
2010sbusiest	2,146	10 of 10	215
2020s	1,204	6 of 10	201

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 2010s were its busiest decade, averaging 215 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1974 and 1975, when recorded births rose by 459, from 78 to 537.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Oliver appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 7 registrars between 1959 and 2025, ranked in 63 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #1, first reached in 2009.

It held a top-100 place in 61 years, 43 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 8,427 births, registered in England and Wales in 2010.

6 registrars ranked it inside their own top 10. It reached #1 in 4 registrars' lists.

Its record falls into 2 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 4 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1964, and 65 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Oliver was ranked #1 in England and Wales · Boys in 2009. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Oline · #40, 40y
Olive · #21, 62y
Oliver-James · #1012, 21y
Olivers · #506, 18y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 7 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Amelia · #1, 59y
Emily · #1, 62y
Isabella · #1, 59y
Jason · #1, 62y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Emilie · #1, 49y
Matthew · #1, 69y
Michelle · #1, 74y
Rebecca · #1, 65y

Comparisons involving Oliver

Existing comparison pages where Oliver and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Longest shared records

Names ranked alongside Oliver in the same published list across at least 25 years.

Oliver vs Bradley
In 1997 they stood at #100 and #104 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 4 places apart; by 2024 they were #10 and #404.
Oliver · Bradley · 27 shared years, 1997–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 Northern Ireland ranking
Oliver vs Calum
In 1997 they stood at #100 and #100 in Northern Ireland · Boys, 0 places apart; by 2024 they were #10 and #339.
Oliver · Calum · 27 shared years, 1997–2024 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2024 Northern Ireland ranking
Oliver vs Andrew
In 1996 they stood at #23 and #29 in England and Wales · Boys, 6 places apart; by 2025 they were #6 and #334.
Oliver · Andrew · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Started together, ended far apart
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking

Closest long-running positions

Names that stayed close to Oliver within one registrar's list over many years. A gap measured inside that list, never across registrars.

Oliver vs Charlie
Across 30 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Oliver and Charlie averaged 10.1 places apart, ending at #6 and #22.
Oliver · Charlie · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · Closest over the longest run
See the 2025 England and Wales ranking

Order changes

Pairs where Oliver and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Oliver vs Harry
In 2013, Oliver moved ahead of Harry in England and Wales · Boys — #2 and #1 the year before became #1 and #3.
Oliver · Harry · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2013 England and Wales ranking
Jack vs Oliver
In 2009, Oliver moved ahead of Jack in England and Wales · Boys — #1 and #2 the year before became #2 and #1.
Jack · Oliver · 30 shared years, 1996–2025 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2009 England and Wales ranking
William vs Oliver
In 2014, Oliver moved ahead of William in New South Wales, Australia · Boys — #1 and #2 the year before became #2 and #1.
William · Oliver · 37 shared years, 1989–2025 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2014 New South Wales, Australia ranking

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Pairs involving Oliver measured in New South Wales, Australia's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Oliver at its highest position.

Oliver vs Alexander
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Oliver #1 in 2014, Alexander #8 in 2014.
Oliver · Alexander · 37 shared years, 1989–2025 · Peaked in the same years
See the 2014 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Oliver vs Edward
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Oliver #1 in 2014, Edward #42 in 2015.
Oliver · Edward · 33 shared years, 1989–2025 · Peaked in the same years
See the 2015 New South Wales, Australia ranking
Oliver vs Isaac
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Oliver #1 in 2014, Isaac #8 in 2015.
Oliver · Isaac · 35 shared years, 1990–2025 · Peaked in the same years
See the 2015 New South Wales, Australia ranking

New South Wales, Australia overview→

Oliver and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Oliver without appearing here.

Oliver moved ahead of

Leon Compare
In 1989 they stood at #434 and #432 in Norway · Boys; by 1990 that had become #231 and #535.
Isaac Compare
In 1974 they stood at #572 and #407 in Norway · Boys; by 1975 that had become #328 and #609.
Egil
In 1989 they stood at #434 and #243 in Norway · Boys; by 1990 that had become #231 and #488.
Ludvig
In 1974 they stood at #543 and #503 in Norway · Boys; by 1975 that had become #328 and #572.

Moved ahead of Oliver

Charlie Compare
In 1997 they stood at #155 and #174 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1998 that had become #203 and #145.
Jack Compare
In 1987 they stood at #103 and #128 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1988 that had become #137 and #122.
Fionn
In 1993 they stood at #130 and #132 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 1994 that had become #145 and #139.
Noah Compare
In 2016 they stood at #3 and #5 in Northern Ireland · Boys; by 2017 that had become #9 and #3.

Moved the opposite way to Oliver

Arild
Between 1959 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Oliver went from #478 to #5 while Arild went from #27 to #489.
Arne
Between 1959 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Oliver went from #478 to #5 while Arne went from #15 to #222.
Bjørn
Between 1959 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Oliver went from #478 to #5 while Bjørn went from #3 to #56.
Dag
Between 1959 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Oliver went from #478 to #5 while Dag went from #28 to #426.

Moved the same way as Oliver

Adam Compare
Between 1959 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Oliver went from #478 to #5 and Adam from #265 to #29.
Aksel
Between 1959 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Oliver went from #478 to #5 and Aksel from #211 to #25.
Alexander Compare
Between 1959 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Oliver went from #478 to #5 and Alexander from #244 to #81.
Daniel Compare
Between 1959 and 2025 in Norway · Boys, Oliver went from #478 to #5 and Daniel from #268 to #66.

Meaning & Origin

Commonly interpreted as 'olive tree', though the true root is debated.

Some etymologists connect Oliver to the Latin 'oliva' via Old French 'Olivier'. Others argue it derives from the Old Norse personal name 'Áleifr' (ancestor of Olaf), carried into French by Norse settlers in Normandy.

VerifiedSource: Namewise editorial team, Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.Sources differ: Sources differ: a Latin 'olive tree' root and a Norse 'Áleifr' (ancestor-descendant) root are both defended by different reference works. Namewise presents both rather than picking a winner.

Old French

From 'Olivier', itself of disputed origin.

VerifiedSource: Namewise editorial team, Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Oliver is officially recorded

7 official registrars have recorded Oliver, between 1959 and 2025, in 63 of those 67 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
Norway	1959–2025	60	#1 in 2018
Republic of Ireland	1964–2025	62	#14 in 1975
New Zealand	1983–2023	40	#1 in 2013
New South Wales, Australia	1989–2025	37	#1 in 2014
England and Wales	1996–2025	30	#1 in 2009
Northern Ireland	1997–2024	28	#3 in 2016
Scotland	2024	1	#7 in 2024

Its high point came 49 years earlier in Republic of Ireland (1975) than in Scotland (2024).

No registrar recorded it for 4 years after 1959; it appears again in 1964.

Variants

Ollie · nickname
Olivier · regional
Oliviero · regional

Similar Names

See full comparison →

Alexander11% similar

Both are long-running classic choices with strong literary associations.

Oliver vs Alexander

Magnus0% similar

Shares a disputed/mixed Old Norse–Latin origin story.

Oliver vs Magnus

Noah0% similar

Similar length and shared top-tier popularity in the same era.

Oliver vs Noah

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

OL-iv-er/ˈɒlɪvər/

Syllables: 3
Ease: easy

Demonstration dataSource: Namewise editorial team.Confidence: low.

Where Oliver Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Oliver in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNorwayNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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Oliver

Oliver at a glance

What stands out in Oliver's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Oliver across 6 official records

Oliver by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Oliver appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Oliver

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Oliver

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Oliver and the names beside it

Oliver moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Oliver

Moved the opposite way to Oliver

Moved the same way as Oliver

Meaning & Origin

Where Oliver is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Oliver Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Oliver at a glance

What stands out in Oliver's record

Oliver across 6 official records

Oliver by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Oliver appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Oliver

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Comparisons involving Oliver

Longest shared records

Closest long-running positions

Order changes

Compared inside New South Wales, Australia lists

Oliver and the names beside it

Oliver moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Oliver

Moved the opposite way to Oliver

Moved the same way as Oliver