Gender Masculine
Scripts Оливер(Serbian, Macedonian)
Pronounced Pron. AHL-i-vər(English) O-lee-vu(German) O-lee-vehr(Finnish) oo-lee-BEH(Catalan) O-li-vehr(Czech) AW-lee-vehr(Slovak)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From Old French Olivier, possibly derived from a Germanic name, perhaps Old Norse Áleifr (see Olaf) or Frankish Alawar (see Álvaro). The spelling was altered by association with Latin oliva "olive tree". In the Middle Ages the name became well-known in Western Europe because of the French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Olivier was a friend and advisor of the hero Roland.

In England Oliver was a common medieval name, however it became rare after the 17th century because of the military commander Oliver Cromwell, who ruled the country following the civil war. The name was revived in the 19th century, perhaps due in part to the title character in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1838), which was about a poor orphan living on the streets of London. It became very popular at the beginning of the 21st century, reaching the top rank for boys in England and Wales in 2009 and entering the top ten in the United States in 2017.

Related Names

DiminutivesOli, Ollie, Olly(English) Olle(Swedish)
Feminine FormsOlivera(Serbian) Olivera(Croatian) Olivera(Macedonian)
Other Languages & CulturesOlivier(Dutch) Olivier(French) Olivér(Hungarian) Oliviero(Italian) Olivers(Latvian) Noll(Medieval English) Olivier(Medieval French) Oliwer, Oliwier(Polish)
Surname DescendantsOliver(Catalan) Oliver, Oliverson(English) Oliver(German) Oliversen(Norwegian) Oliversson(Swedish)
Same SpellingOlivér
User SubmissionsÓlíver, Óliver

People think this name is

classic   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   simple   serious  

Name Days

Austria: July 11
Croatia: July 1
Czechia: October 2
Estonia: May 22
Finland: May 29
Norway: August 3
Slovakia: July 7
Sweden: April 15

Images

Depiction of Oliver Twist (1837)Depiction of Oliver Twist (1837)

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Entry updated December 7, 2022