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.
Pronunciationol-iv-er
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] Other proposed origins include the Germanic names *wulfa- "wolf" and *harja- "army";[4] 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;[5] 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.[6] 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[6] and, in medieval times, Noll.[7]

Modern variants include French Olivier, Hungarian Olivér, Irish Oilibhéar or Oilibhéir, Scottish Gaelic Oilvreis, Portuguese Olívio,[8] Italian Oliviero, Spanish Óliver, and Polish Oliwier or Oliwer.

In 2015, Oliver was the most popular given name for boys in Australia.[9] From 2013 to 2017, Oliver was the most popular given name for baby boys born in England.

Variants

People with the given name "Oliver" include

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Fictional characters

See also

References

  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. ↑ Modern Oliver gtb.inl.nl
  5. ↑ "Oliver | Origin and meaning of the name oliver by Online Etymology Dictionary".
  6. 1 2 "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.
  7. ↑ "Oliver Cromwell - Wikipedia". en.m.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  8. ↑ Mark, Colin (2006), The Gaelic-English Dictionary, London: Routledge, p. 715, ISBN 0-203-22259-8
  9. ↑ "Australia's 100 most popular baby names". Kidspot. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  10. ↑ "Ōriwa - Te Aka Māori Dictionary". Ōriwa - Te Aka Māori Dictionary. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  11. ↑ "Oliver Name Meaning & Oliver Family History at Ancestry.com®". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
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