Oliver (given name)

Oliver
Mort de Roland, depicting the death of Roland in The Song of Roland. One part of the story tells how Roland's best friend Oliver died with him.
Pronunciation/ˈɑːlɪvər/
Gendermasculine
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Old French and English
MeaningFrom Olivier, an Old French form of the Germanic name Alfher (literally "elf army/warrior")
Region of originMedieval France, Medieval England
Other names
Nickname(s)Ollie
UsageEnglish, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Italian, Russian, Catalan, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Czech, Slovak, Spanish
Related namesOlivia, Olive, Olivier, Olivér, Oliwer, Oliwier, Oliviero, Óliver

Oliver is a masculine given name of Old French and Medieval British origin. The name has been generally associated with the Latin term olivarius, meaning "olive tree planter",[1][2] or "olive branch bearer"[3] Olive is a symbol of hope, so this name literally means - ''the one who carries hope''.[4] Other proposed origins include the Germanic names *wulfa- "wolf" and *harja- "army";[5] the Old Norse Óleifr (Ólaf); a genuinely West Germanic name, perhaps from ala- "all" and wēra "true" (possibly cognate with Álvaro); the Anglo-Saxon Alfhere;[6] and the Greek name Eleutherios.

Oliver is one of Charlemagne's retainers in the 11th-century Song of Roland. The name was introduced to England by the Normans, where its form was possibly influenced again by its Anglo-Saxon cognate Alfhere.[7] It was commonly used in medieval England, but became rare after the Restoration because of the unpopularity of Oliver Cromwell. The name was revived in the 19th century, possibly inspired by the title character of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (1838). Pet forms of the English given name include Ollie[7] and, in medieval times, Noll.[8][circular reference]

Modern variants include French Olivier, Hungarian Olivér, Indonesian Oliver, Irish Oilibhéar or Oilibhéir, Scottish Gaelic Oilvreis, Portuguese Olívio,[9] Italian Oliviero, Spanish Óliver, and Polish Oliwier or Oliwer.

In 2015, Oliver was the most popular given name for boys in Australia.[10] From 2013 to 2017, Oliver was the most popular given name for baby boys born in England.

In 2022, in the United States, the name Oliver was given to 15,076 boys, making it the third most popular name.[11] Also in 2022, it was the sixth most popular name given to boys in Canada.[12]

The name Oliver is on the list of the 50 most common male names in Croatia. In 2023, 116 Olivers were born in Croatia, and according to the latest census, there are currently 1,719 people living in Croatia with that name.[4]

  1. ^ Piestrasanta, Silvestro (1682). "Elogium Gentis Carafaeae ac stemma procerum ejus". SYMBOLA HEROICA (in Latin). Amsterdam: Amstelaedami, Apud Janssonio-Waesbergios & Henr. Wetstenium. p. XXX (30).
  2. ^ Sweertius, Franciscus [in French] (1628). Athenae Belgicae, sive Nomenclator infer (in Latin). Antwerp: Gulielmus a Tungris. pp. 588–589.
  3. ^ Barton Sholod, "Charlemagne in Spain. The Cultural Legacy of Roncesvalles", p. 144
  4. ^ a b "Zaboravljeno ime ponovno je u modi. 2023. ga je dobilo 116 beba". www.index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  5. ^ Modern Oliver gtb.inl.nl
  6. ^ "Oliver | Origin and meaning of the name oliver by Online Etymology Dictionary".
  7. ^ a b "Learn about the family history of your surname". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2 March 2010.. The webpage cited the following book: A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. 1996. ISBN 0-19-280050-7.
  8. ^ "Oliver Cromwell - Wikipedia". en.m.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  9. ^ Mark, Colin (2006), The Gaelic-English Dictionary, London: Routledge, p. 715, ISBN 0-203-22259-8
  10. ^ "Australia's 100 most popular baby names". Kidspot. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Popular Names in 2022 - USA". Baby Names. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  12. ^ "Table 17-10-0147-01 First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators (Number)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 25 August 2024.