Oliver

Oliver is a traditional name yet it sounds modern and fresh. This would be an ideal name for any baby boy as it has remained popular throughout history.

Detailed Meaning

From the French name, Olivier, recorded as the name of one of Charlemagne’s retainers, the close companion in arms of Roland in the Chanson de Roland. Whereas Roland is headstrong and rash, Oliver is thoughtful and cautious. Ostensibly this name derives from Late Latin olivarius ‘olive tree’, but Charlemagne’s other paladins all bear solidly Germanic names, so it is more probably an altered form of a Germanic name, perhaps distantly connected with Old Norse Oleifr ‘ancestral relic’. It has remained in more or less continuous use since the medieval period, becoming increasingly popular since the 1980’s.

Famous People With This Name

Oliver Cromwell was a English political leader and lord protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. Oliver Hudson is an American actor and brother of actress, Kate Hudson. Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. was an American physician, poet and polymath, as well as father of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who would become Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in the early 1900s.

Possible Nicknames

One possible nickname option for Oliver is Ollie.

Related Names

Oliver can also be spelt Olifer.

Stories Featuring This Name

Oliver Twist is the protagonist from Charles Dickens book of the same name. Oliver the Western Engine is a character from the book series by Rev. W. Awdry, “The Railway Series.” Oliver Queen is the real name of the DC superhero, Green Arrow.