UK boy's name
Oliver
A masculine given name of Old French origin meaning "olive tree".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Oliver is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Oliver popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3, with 3,492 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 8,427 births.
This profile covers 157,197 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 41% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 166,117 living people in the UK are called Oliver. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Oliver ranked #3 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3,492 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2010, when 8,427 boys were registered as Oliver.
- • Oliver ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #1 in 2024.
- • About 166,117 living people in the UK are estimated to have Oliver as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3
2024
Births in 2024
3,492
Latest year
Peak year
2010
8,427 births
Estimated living
166,117
2026
Meaning
What does Oliver mean?
The name Oliver is derived from the Old French name Ollivier, which itself came from the ancient Germanic name Alfihar. The name Alfihar is composed of the elements "alf" meaning "elf" and "hari" meaning "army" or "warrior". Together, they create the meaning "elf warrior" or "the elfin ruler".
The name Oliver first appeared during the Middle Ages in France, where it gained popularity due to its association with the legendary hero Oliver, a close advisor and companion to Charlemagne. Oliver was a celebrated character in the medieval French epic poem "The Song of Roland", which recounted the battles between the Franks and the Moors during Charlemagne's reign.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Oliver dates back to the 11th century, when it was borne by Oliver de Breteuil, a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. After the conquest, the name Oliver became more widespread throughout England and other parts of Britain.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Oliver. One of the most famous was Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), the English military and political leader who played a crucial role in the English Civil War and served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
Another famous Oliver was the English poet Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774), best known for his novels "The Vicar of Wakefield" and "The Deserted Village", as well as the play "She Stoops to Conquer". Goldsmith was a prominent figure in the literary circles of 18th-century London.
In the realm of science, Oliver Heaviside (1850-1925) was a self-taught English mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the understanding of electromagnetism and the development of vector calculus.
The name Oliver also has religious connections. Saint Oliver Plunkett (1629-1681) was an Irish Roman Catholic archbishop who became a martyr and was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1975.
Finally, in the world of entertainment, Oliver Reed (1938-1999) was a renowned English actor known for his roles in films such as "Oliver!", "The Three Musketeers", and "Gladiator".
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Oliver over time
The chart below shows babies named Oliver registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Oliver, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 3,492 births in 2024, compared with 8,427 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oliver by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Oliver was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #3 | 19,131 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1 | 65,846 | 10 |
| 2000s | #6 | 56,990 | 10 |
| 1990s | #22 | 15,230 | 4 |
Geography
Where Oliver is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Oliver. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Oliver ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #1 in 2024.
Across the UK
Oliver in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#7 in 2024
51 years of NRS records, 7,240 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#10 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 2,904 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Oliver
-
Oliver Lee
association football player
English footballer (born 1991)
1991-
-
Oliver Ryan
association football player
English footballer (born 1985)
1985-
Related
Names similar to Oliver
- Oscar 67,495
- Owen 33,517
- Ollie 13,193
- Oakley 9,838
- Omar 6,823
- Otis 6,395
- Oskar 4,827
- Olly 4,403
- Otto 3,839
- Osian 3,145
- Owain 2,310
- Olivier 2,192
FAQ
Oliver: questions and answers
How popular is the name Oliver in the UK right now?
In 2024, Oliver was ranked #3 for boys in England and Wales, with 3,492 births registered.
When was Oliver most popular?
The peak year on record was 2010, with 8,427 babies registered as Oliver in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Oliver?
A masculine given name of Old French origin meaning "olive tree".
How many people are called Oliver in the UK?
A total of 157,197 babies have been registered as Oliver across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7,240 more in Scotland and 2,904 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Oliver most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Oliver ranks best in North East, where it placed #1 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.