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, Olivier, died with him.
Gender	masculine
Language(s)	pos. Germanic; pos. Latin
Origin
Region of origin	Carolingian Empire
Other names
Related names	Noll; Oilbhreis; Oilibhéar; Olivier; Ollie; Olghar; Oliver

Look up Oliver in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The masculine given name Oliver is of Germanic origin. The name (French: Olivier) was first used by one of Charlemagne's retainers—Olivier. The name is said to have been derived from the Late Latin olivarius, meaning "olive tree"; however, the names of Charlemagne's other retainers were of Germanic origin, and it is thought that the name is also a form of a Germanic name. It is suggested that the name could thus be a form of Olaf. The name, Oliver, was brought to England by the Normans.^[1]

In other languages

• Croatian: Oliver
• Czech: Oliver
• Danish: Oliver
• Dutch: Olivier
• Estonian: Oliver
• Finnish: Oliver, Olli
• French: Olivier
• Frisian: Olivier
• German: Oliver
• Hungarian: Olivér
• Irish: Oilibhéar
• Italian: Oliviero
• Latin: Olivarius, Oliverius^[2]
• Norwegian: Oliver
• Polish: Oliwer
• Portuguese: Olivar, Olivério, Olivier^[3]
• Scottish Gaelic: Oilbhreis^[4]
• Serbian: Оливер/Оliver
• Spanish: Oliverio, Oliver
• Swedish: Oliver
• Turkish: Oliver

Persons with the given name

• Oliver (singer) (1945–2000), American pop singer, real name William Oliver Swofford
• Oliver De Lancey (American loyalist) (1718–1785), merchant, New York Loyalist politician and Major-general during the American War of Independence
• Oliver De Lancey (British Army general) (c. 1749–1822), British Army officer who took part in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars
• Oliver De Lancey (British Army and Spanish Legion officer) (1803–1837), British Army officer who volunteered for the Spanish Legion and died fighting in Spain during the First Carlist War
• Oliver Belmont (1858–1908), American socialite
• Oliver Bulleid (1882–1970), British railway and mechanical engineer
• Oliver Campos-Hull (born 1987), Spanish racing driver
• Oliver Carminow (died 1597), English politician, Member in the Parliament of England
• Oliver Churchill (1914–1997), British officer during World War II
• Oliver Cromwell (1599–1658), English military and political leader and later Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
• Oliver Ditson (1811-1888), American businessman
• Oliver Dragojević (born 1947), Croatian pop singer
• Oliver Ellsworth (1745–1807), American lawyer, politician, senator
• Oliver Evans (1755–1819), American inventor
• Oliver Gavin (born 1972), UK racing driver
• Oliver Goldsmith (1730–1774), Irish novelist, playwright and poet
• Oliver Hardy (1892–1957), American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy
• Oliver Heywood (1825–1892), English banker and philanthropist
• Oliver Hirschbiegel (born 1957), German film director
• Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935), American jurist
• Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (1809–1894), American physician, poet
• Oliver Hudson (born 1976), American actor
• Oliver Hughes (1844–1911), US decorated Union Army soldier
• Oliver Ingrosso (born 1989), Swedish DJ, record producer and actor. Also credited as Oliver Wahlgren-Ingrosso
• Oliver Jackson (1933–1994), aka Bops Junior, American jazz drummer
• Oliver Jarvis (born 1984), English racing driver
• Oliver Jones (Irish MP) (died 1664), Welsh-Irish soldier and politician
• Oliver Kahn (born 1969), German football goalkeeper
• Oliver Kamm (born 1963), British writer and journalist
• Oliver Knussen (born 1952), British composer and conductor
• Oliver Lieb (born 1969), German electronic music producer and DJ
• Oliver Locker-Lampson (1880–1954), British politician and naval officer
• Oliver Lodge (1851–1940), British physicist and writer
• Oliver W. F. Lodge (1878-1955), English poet and author
• Oliver Lyttelton, 1st Viscount Chandos (1893–1972), British businessman and politician
• Oliver Martini (born 1971), Italian racing driver
• Oliver McCall (born 1965), American heavyweight boxer
• Oliver Messel (1904–1978), English artist and pioneering stage designer
• Oliver P. Morton (1823–1877), American politician
• Oliver "Tuku" Mtukudzi, Zimbabwean musician
• Oliver Nelson (1932–1975), American jazz musician
• Oliver North (born 1943), US Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel, conservative political commentator and television host, military historian, and author
• Oliver Parker (born 1960), English film director
• Oliver Penrose (born 1929), British theoretical physicist
• Oliver Perry (1785–1819), American naval commander
• Oliver Petrucciani (born 1969), Swiss motorcycle racer
• Oliver Postgate (1925–2008), English animator, puppeteer and writer
• Oliver Reed (1938–1999), English actor
• Oliver Sacks (born 1933), British-American neurologist, writer
• Oliver Selfridge (1926–2008), English businessman, computer scientist and pioneer of artificial intelligence
• Oliver Smithies (born 1925), British-born American geneticist
• Oliver Stanley (1896–1950), British politician
• Oliver Stone (born 1946), American film director, screenwriter, producer
• Oliver Strachey (1874–1960), British civil servant in the Foreign Office, cryptographer
• Oliver Sykes (born 1986), English singer-songwriter
• Oliver Tambo (1917–1993), South African anti-apartheid politician and a central figure in the African National Congress
• Oliver Tobias (born 1947), UK-based film, stage, and television actor
• Oliver Wakeman (born 1972), rock keyboardist and composer, former member of Yes, where he replaced his father, Rick Wakeman
• Oliver Wallace (1887–1963), British composer and conductor

Pet forms

Pet forms of the English given name Oliver include: Ollie, Noll.^[1]

Popularity

In 2013 it was the fifth most popular name for boys in Australia.^[5]

See also

• Oliver
• Oliver (family name)
• Oliver (disambiguation)
• All pages beginning with "Oliver"
• All pages with titles containing "Oliver"

References