Oliver Wendell Holmes was a wonderful poet and his son, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., was a United States Supreme Court Justice. Oliver Hardy was a comedian/actor who partnered with Stan Laurel.
Whether or not it originates from "elf army", Oliver surely today is closely related to the olive tree. Olivier is listed as the French version of Oliver, when in fact "olivier" is simply French for "olive tree".
*sings* 'Oliver, Oliver, never before has a boy asked for more; Oliver, Oliver, don't ask for more when you know what's in store' - From Oliver! The musical, based on the story "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens.
A famous bearer is Oliver Cromwell, one-time Lord Protector of England, in place of the King, during the English Civil War. There is also the song "Oliver's Army" by Elvis Costello, referring indirectly to Oliver Cromwell.
The defining trait of Oliver in the Song of Roland, is wisdom, of which his name is repeatedly linked to, in contrast to his companion Roland, who represents strength.
In As You Like It by William Shakespeare, Oliver is the oldest son of a famous duke. In the beginning of the play he is very mean, especially to his younger brother Orlando, but then he has a change of heart and becomes good.
Since when is Oliver a cat's name? I've never heard of a cat named Oliver. It is however my son's name & he's always receiving compliments for it. It's one of my all time favourite names.
-- Anonymous User 1/29/2007
Most people probably associate it with a cat because the main character in the Disney movie Oliver & Company is, yes, an orange cat. It's supposedly based on Oliver Twist. I personally think it's a good name, and don't get the whole 'cat name' thing, either.
I think Oliver is a fantastic name for a boy! One of my favorites for a future son.
-- Anonymous User 3/18/2007
No offense but I just can't stand this name, it sounds stuffy and outdated.
-- Anonymous User 3/30/2007
I like this name---I actually prefer it to the feminine version Olivia, although my distaste for Olivia may relate more to people I've known than the name itself. But I don't find Oliver outdated at all.
-- Anonymous User 4/1/2007
Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) was the author of "The Vicar of Wakefield" and "She Stoops to Conquer."
Sure it brings to mind 'Oliver and Company' to most, but it brings different things to my mind. I used to have a dog named Oliver. Before he was put to sleep.
-- Anonymous User 8/6/2007
I love this name, it's a very old and masculine name. I would love to give my future son the name Oliver as a middle name.
Oliver in Catalan language is also the name for the olive tree, we say indistinctly oliver or olivera for this tree, and the fruits are olives. To make a difference between the personal name and the tree name we pronounce oli'ver or oli ver'.
I really don't like Oliver. I immediately think of Oliver Cromwell, who was a butcherous genocidal dictator and a curse upon Ireland. One of our worst curses is "malacht Cromail ort" which means "The curse of Cromwell upon you". Some people would still use that curse. I would have liked it if he hadn't existed.
In English, Oliver is old slang for the moon. Origins of such usage may be traced to Oliver Cromwell and the Roundheads, as the moon, when full, resembles a great round (presumably bald) head.
In The Netherlands Olivier B. Bommel is the name of a comic book character in the books of Marten Toonder. I don't know the English name. It's the friend of Tom Cat (Tom Poes in Dutch). I myself don't like this name, but I used to like the stories of Marten Toonder.
Whenever I hear this name, I think of a boy in about 19th century England with peasant clothes (especially the hat), somewhat like Oliver Twist. Somehow, though, it makes the name seem more sexy. I have a strange mind sometimes.
Oliver was a character in "The Brady Bunch"; he was the son of Carol Brady's brother Jack and his wife Pauline and came to live with the Brady family while his parents were in South America.
Much younger than the Brady kids, it was an attempt to get the appeal of a precocious youngster back into the storyline. Brady fans see his arrival as the turning point upon which the show "jumped the shark" or marked a decline.
Cousin Oliver Syndrome is the name that fans use for the phenomenon of sitcoms casting young kids to try to boost ratings.
It is also used in Czech, Slovak, Estonian, Hungarian and Late Roman.
-- Anonymous User 4/11/2010
I LOVE the name Oliver! It's #38 in 2009 in my nation of origin, Hungary. I REALLY want to name my little son Oliver... at the moment! :D No, Oliver is very cute. I personally know of a little Oliver (I have never met him, just saw pictures of him, he's Hungarian) and he THE cutest little boy! Thank goodness he is called Oliver with that cuteness which describes him.
Oliver Riedel the bassist of the German Industrial band Rammstein. His nickname is Oli (Pronounce Oh-lee).
-- Anonymous User 2/25/2012
This name is awesome so long as you don't call him Ollie. It sounds tough:) But I hate any feminine variations... somehow, on a girl it sounds fat.
-- Anonymous User 8/9/2012
The name Oliver has another meaning in Norse. It means "Affectionate". This comes from several sources. My suggestion is that if you are naming a child or pet or novel character and the meaning is important, that you research beyond this site, as it somewhat frequently leaves information out.
I find it quite strange that this is the most popular name for babies in England right now, despite Oliver Cromwell.
-- Anonymous User 4/21/2013
In the book 18, Pete's 13 year old son is named Oliver.
-- Anonymous User 7/15/2013
I'd really like to name our son this- it goes well with all the girls names we've picked out for his twin sister. The only problem is that its getting quite popular. I don't regard it as 'trendy' myself, but others might. I think it's too old fashioned and charming to be called trendy. Despite the popularity, its an excellent name, and we're still considering it!