How common is the surname Oliver?

115,900 people in the United States had the surname Oliver in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,664 Americans. It ranked 264th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Oliver?

Jamie Oliver, British chef and media personality, followed by John Oliver.

Where is the surname Oliver most common?

Wikidata records people named Oliver in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Oliver?

Oliver is /ˈɑlɪvɚ/, 3 syllables.

Is the surname Oliver getting more or less common?

More common. 111,641 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 115,900 in 2010, up 3.8%.

Is Oliver also a first name?

Yes. Oliver is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Oliver

A patronymic surname, carried by 115,900 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈɑlɪvɚ/ 3 syllables Soundex O416 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Oliver is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

Inherited from Middle English Oliver, from Old French Olivier, by folk etymology derived from the Latin name Olīvārius, but probably representing an Old High German form of Old Norse Óleifr (“ancestral + relic”) (modern Danish Olaf and Swedish Olof), or Proto-Germanic *ala- (“all”) + *wēraz (“true”) (modern Swedish allvar). Name of a paladin of Charlemagne in medieval French romance.

Oliver is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 115,900 people named Oliver in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,664 Americans. That is up 3.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 111,641.

#264

rank among US surnames

115,900

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.8%

change since 2000 (was #248)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#255	Carr	119,076	2,593
#256	Lawson	119,053	2,593
#257	Jacobs	118,614	2,603
#258	O'Brien	118,557	2,604
#259	Lynch	117,708	2,623
#260	Singh	116,749	2,645
#261	Vega	116,673	2,646

Who is named Oliver

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

64% of people named Oliver identified as white (not Hispanic), 27% as Black (not Hispanic) and 4.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 64%
Black (not Hispanic) 27%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 4.5%
Two or more races 2.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Olivers

37 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Jamie Oliver
British chef and media personality, born 1975
John Oliver
British-American comedian and television host, born 1977
Mary Oliver
American poet (1935–2019)
King Oliver
American jazz cornet player and bandleader, 1881–1938
Edna May Oliver
American actress (1883–1942)
David Oliver
American hurdler, born 1982
Barret Oliver
American actor and photographer, born 1973
Susan Oliver
American actress, author, aviator (1932-1990)
Lauren Oliver
American writer, born 1982
Arnie Oliver
American soccer player (1907-1993)
Michael Oliver
American actor, born 1981
Chase Oliver
American political activist and 2024 Libertarian Party presidential nominee

Notable Olivers come mostly from the United States (29), the United Kingdom (4) and Australia (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Oliver

Oliver has the Soundex code O416, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code O416.

Questions

Where does the surname Oliver come from?: Inherited from Middle English Oliver, from Old French Olivier, by folk etymology derived from the Latin name Olīvārius, but probably representing an Old High German form of Old Norse Óleifr (“ancestral + relic”) (modern Danish Olaf and Swedish Olof), or Proto-Germanic *ala- (“all”) + *wēraz…
How common is the surname Oliver?: 115,900 people in the United States had the surname Oliver in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,664 Americans. It ranked 264th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Oliver?: In the 2010 Census, 64% of people named Oliver identified as white (not Hispanic), and 27% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Oliver?: Jamie Oliver, British chef and media personality, followed by John Oliver.
Where is the surname Oliver most common?: Wikidata records people named Oliver in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Oliver?: Oliver is /ˈɑlɪvɚ/, 3 syllables.
What type of surname is Oliver?: Oliver is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Oliver getting more or less common?: More common. 111,641 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 115,900 in 2010, up 3.8%.
Is Oliver also a first name?: Yes. Oliver is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.