Boy Names baby nameOliver

What does the name Oliver mean?

The different meanings of the name Oliver are:
  • English meaning: Elf army
  • French meaning: Olive tree
  • Scandinavian meaning: Olive branch; symbol of peace
The meaning of the name “Oliver” is different in several languages, countries and cultures and has more than one possibly same or different meanings available.

Additional information: This is a male name and it is pronounced as /AHL-iv-er/. The name means “olive branch” or “olive tree,” but it is also related to the name “Alfher,” which means “elf army.” In Latin its a derivative of Olive.

Oliver is derived from the Germanic name “Alfher,” which is composed of “Alf,” meaning “elf,” and “hari,” meaning “army.” When the name came into contact with Latin-based languages like the French, the name was taken to be related to the olive tree. As such, the name has come to have connotations of peacefulness.

Some of the nicknames that are given to people with this name are: Olly, Ollie and Oli. There are also variants of this name which include Olivier and Olliver. Other names that are related to this name are Olaf and Alfher. The female forms of this name are: Olive, Olivia and Olivera.

As a result of the different languages in the world, the name Oliver is spelt differently in various parts of the world. In French and Polish it is spelt as Olivier. In Italian it is spelt as Oliviero.

Throughout history, Oliver has experienced a few spikes in popularity, and it seems to be on the rise once more, particularly in the United Kingdom. From 2003 to 2013, the name rose from 6th in the U.K. to 1st. In the U.S., the name is experiencing a slower growth, but it is still rapidly growing in popularity, rising from the 305th place in 2000 to 32nd in 2014. The name might continue to rise in popularity, so trendsetters will love this name for their sons. This name is also a good name if you want to give your baby boy a peaceful name or a name with literary tradition behind it.

As of 2014, Oliver is the 32ndmost popular name in the United States, the most popular name in the U.K., and the 11th most popular in Canada. The celebrities that are known by this name are Oliver Cromwell who is a British military commander, Oliver Hudson who is an American actor, Oliver “Olly” Murs who is a British singer/songwriter, Oliver North who is an American general, Oliver Twist who is a titular character in classic Dickens novel and Oliver Stone who is an American director, producer, and screenwriter.