Name of the Week: Oliver

 

 

Origin:

Oliver is the anglicised form of the Old French Olivier which became famous thanks to the 11th century epic La Chanson de Roland, in which Oliver was Roland's closest friend and one of Charlemagne's twelve peers. The origin of Oliver is much debated. Traditionally, it has been derived from the Latin olivarus "olive tree," a symbol traditionally associated with peace and divine wisdom. It is possible that the form of Olivier was altered to reflect this meaning, but, given that Charlemagne's paladin was most likely Teutonic, a Germanic origin seems more likely. One theory is that the name originates from the same source as Olaf via the Old Norse Anleifr -- anu "ancester" and leifr "heir, descendant, legacy, inheritance." Others link it to the Middle Low German Alfihar (alf "elf" and hari "army), cognate with the Old English Ælfhere which later bacame Alvar.

Usage:

Olivier was brought to Britain by the Normans. An Oliverus features in the Domesday Book as a landowner in Devon in 1086 and it was in good use from that point on. It was never wildly popular (in fact, it seems to have been more of a "well known but not popularly used" name), but was in decent enough use to be the source of the surname Oliver, Olivier and Ollivers etc, and create the short-form Noll.  Perhaps the most famous bearer of the name in Britain before the 20th century was Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), military and political leader and Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland (1653-1658). He is most famous for being a key figure in the Civil War, being both a commander in the parliamentary army and one of the MPs who opposed King Charles I and signed his death warrant. Still, to this day, he is a controversial figure: sometimes vilified as a military dictator, and other times heralded as a paragon of liberty. A popularist theory, propagated by E.G.Withycombe*, is that Oliver was moderately common in the Middle Ages up until the 16th century but became rare during and after the Restoration due to Oliver Cromwell's fall from favour. However, as George Redmonds* points out, this claim is unsubstantiated in the data. In fact, the popularity of Oliver saw very little change from the 15th to the 18th century. It does not appear in Smith-Bannister's top 50 name rankings from 1538-1700*, and my poll of the top 100 names in Elizabethan Norfolk has only two instances of Oliver, and only five instances in Restoration-era Norfolk.  In short, the name Oliver was consistently used from the Middle Ages in Britain but remained an uncommon choice both before and after Oliver Cromwell's reign as Lord High Protector.  It wasn't until the 19th century that Oliver came into more popular use. Names from chivalric medieval romances were all the rage during this period, and some of this success may also have been thanks in some part to the serial publication of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (1837-1839).  Oliver had reached the top 100 of England and Wales by the mid-19th century, falling out after 1904: 1860: #63 1870: #64 1880: #68 1890: #71 1900: #90 The name did not return to the top 100 in England and Wales until 1974 when it ranked #83. Oliver Twist may once again have played a part in this given that the hit musical film Oliver! was released in 1968, winning six Oscars. The film also starred actor Oliver Reed (1938-1999) who, by 1974, was starring in several major Hollywood films.  By 1984, Oliver ranked #48, was #23 by 1994 and #7 by 2004, joining the top 5 the following year. It has taken the number one spot every year since 2009, with the exception of 2011 and 2012.  In Scotland, Oliver first reached the top 200 in 1975 (#167) but didn't rank in the top 100 until 2000 (#83) It has been rising ever since, reaching #10 in 2011 and #4 in 2013.  In 2015, Oliver ranked #1 (6941 births) in England and Wales and #2 (448 births) in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History: * Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658), military and political leader and Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. * Saint Oliver Plunkett (1625–1681), Irish Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, last martyr of the Popish Plot * Oliver Goldsmith (1730–1774), Irish novelist, playwright and poet. * Oliver Evans (1755–1819), American inventor. * Oliver Heywood (1825–1892), English banker and philanthropist. * Oliver Lodge (1851–1940), British physicist and writer. * Oliver W. F. Lodge (1878-1955), English poet and author. * Oliver Wallace (1887–1963), British composer and conductor. * Oliver Hardy (1892–1957), American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy. Contemporary: * Oliver Reed (1938–1999), English actor * Oliver Knussen (born 1952), British composer and conductor * Oliver Hudson (born 1976), American actor. Literature and Other Media: * Oliver de Vienne, character in the 11th century epic La Chanson de Roland. * Oliver Twist, the protagonist of Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1837-1839)

Variants:

Olivier (French), Oliwier (Polish), Oliviero (Italian)

Pronunciation:

OL-ə-və [key]

Possible diminutives:

Ollie, Olly, Lev, Noll

Sibling Names:

Amelia     Isabelle     Ella     Charlotte     Ava     Sophie  George     William     Theo     Henry     Joshua     Alexander

Name Lists:

Victorian Darlings   Dickensian Names

 

If you like Oliver you may also like:    Edward, Oscar, Finlay, Frederick, Toby, Jude, Gabriel, Elliott, Louis, Max