Given name & surname
Olivia
“of the olive tree; one who is peaceful”·“olive tree”
Olivia brings together a Shakespearean heroine and an association with the olive, though its precise formation is debated.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Latin use, Olivia carries the interpretation “of the olive tree; one who is peaceful.” Olivia is a feminine form of Oliver. An “olive tree” interpretation is associated with Oliver, but it does not settle the name’s original meaning.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
Olivia is used as a feminine counterpart of Oliver. Olivia is a feminine form of Oliver. The shared background comes through Oliver: The French form Olivier resembles a Late Latin word for an olive tree. Oliver also appears among legendary companions with Germanic names, suggesting that Olivier may have reshaped an older Germanic name, perhaps Olaf. That deeper connection remains uncertain.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Shakespeare used Olivia for the heiress in Twelfth Night. Possible starting points include Oliver, Latin oliva meaning “olive,” and the older feminine name Oliva; the literary appearance is more secure than any single derivation.
Olivia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 568,136
- 791 boys · 567,345 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 19,863 babies
- 2025
- 13,554
- #1 for girls · #8,067 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13,544 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 15.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 19,840 in 2014. It also appeared in 10 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (1,796). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 449,373 as a first name in 2020; 675 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Olivia’s family of names
In English usage, Olivia has a diminutive in Ollie. Olivia is a feminine form of Oliver. In English usage, Olivia has a conventional equivalent in the French form Olive.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Olivia has relatives in 15 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
15 related names in 15 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 32
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Olivevariant · French, English
- Liviashort form
- Livdiminutive · English
- Olliediminutive · English
- Livvydiminutive · English
- Livydiminutive · English
- Olivettevariant
- Olivavariant
Show 24 moreShow fewer
- Olivetvariant
- Olivinevariant
- Ollydiminutive · Norwegian, English
- Olivyavariant
- Oliviahvariant
- Livadiminutive · Danish
- Ollivialikely variant
- Olidavariant
- Oletavariant
- Olivievariant · Czech
- Oliavariant
- Olvavariant
- Olivijavariant · Slovene
- Olivvialikely variant
- Oilbhevariant
- Oliveriavariant
- Olivyvariant
- Oliveevariant
- Oliveyvariant
- Olivivariant
- Oliffevariant
- Oliffvariant
- Olivettavariant
- Oliveeavariant
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 28
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Olivermasculine form · Finnish
- Alyviaequivalent
- Aliviahequivalent
- Oliviannaequivalent
- OliwiaPolish
- Oliveaequivalent
- Alivyaequivalent
- Oliviyahequivalent
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Oleviaequivalent
- Aliviyahequivalent
- Alivyahequivalent
- Oliviyaequivalent
- Oliviomasculine form · Italian, Galician
- Olyviahequivalent
- Olyveaequivalent
- Aliveahequivalent
- Aliviyaequivalent
- Òlëwiôequivalent
- Ολιβίαequivalent
- Oleeviaequivalent
- Oliwaequivalent
- Olívieequivalent
- ОливияRussian
- Oliiviaequivalent
- Olivinaequivalent
- Olyvyaequivalent
- OlíviaHungarian, Slovak
- ΟλίβιαGreek
People named Olivia
- Olivia de HavillandBritish actress (1916–2020)
- Olivia RodrigoAmerican singer-songwriter and actress (born 2003)
- Olivia WildeAmerican actress and film director (born 1984)
- Olivia Newton-JohnBritish and Australian singer (1948–2022)
- Olivia ColmanBritish actressborn 1974
- Olivia HusseyBritish actress (1951–2024)
- Olivia WilliamsBritish actress (born 1968)
- Olivia CookeBritish actress (born 1993)
- Olivia CulpoAmerican model (born 1992)
Characters named Olivia: Sailor Saturn (Sailor Moon), Olivia Dunham (the television series Fringe), Olivia Benson (fictional character on the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Olivia Pope (American TV series "Scandal").
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
- Names made famous by books, film and popular culture
- Shakespearean heroines used as names
- Most popular names in 2005
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- Popular Names in Finland
- Popular Names in England and Wales
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