girl's name
Olive
OL-iv
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 81,380
the United States
#197
2025 births
Olive is a girl's name of Latin origin taken from the tree, whose name comes from oliva. The olive branch has meant peace since classical antiquity, and the name carries that association rather than the fruit itself.
- Olive is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2022, when 1,841 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 591 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Olive over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Olive is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 3,466 |
| 1890s | 5,731 |
| 1900s | 6,058 |
| 1910s | 12,458 |
| 1920s | 10,977 |
| 1930s | 3,613 |
| 1940s | 1,461 |
| 1950s | 623 |
| 1960s | 257 |
| 1970s | 122 |
| 1980s | 94 |
| 1990s | 141 |
| 2000s | 1,562 |
| 2010s | 10,727 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,030 |
What Olive means
Olive means the olive tree, and by long association peace. The tree's symbolism is old enough to be inseparable from the word, which is why the name reads as peaceful rather than botanical.
Where Olive comes from
Olive comes from the Latin oliva, itself borrowed from the Greek elaia. The peace association runs through both classical and biblical tradition: an olive wreath crowned victors at the ancient Olympic Games, and Genesis has the dove return to Noah's ark carrying an olive leaf, signaling the flood's retreat. Olive was in English use as a given name from the medieval period, sometimes as a feminine of the Frankish Oliver, and it became widely fashionable in the Victorian botanical wave alongside Ivy, Violet and Poppy.
Olive in use
Our data shows Olive peaking in 2022 and still rising, at 47 in England and Wales against 197 in the United States. It first appears in our records in 1880. Its revival is a straightforward hundred-year cycle — long enough out of use that it reads as fresh rather than dated.
How popular is Olive?
In 2025, Olive was given to 892 babies in England and Wales, ranking #47 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Olive is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Olive
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Olive also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Olive over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Olive
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Olive in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Olive
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Olive — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Olive
What does the name Olive mean?
Olive is the tree name, from the Latin oliva, and carries the olive branch's long association with peace.
Are Olive and Olivia the same name?
Related but not identical. Olivia was coined by Shakespeare for Twelfth Night, most likely from the same Latin root.
Why does the olive mean peace?
From both classical and biblical tradition — olive wreaths crowned Olympic victors, and the dove returns to Noah's ark with an olive leaf.
How popular is the name Olive?
In 2025, Olive was given to 892 babies in England and Wales, ranking #47 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Olive a girl's or a boy's name?
Olive is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Olive?
Olive has 2 syllables.
When was Olive most popular?
Olive peaked in 2022, when 1,841 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Olive?
Olive is usually shortened to Liv and Ollie.
Is Olive a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Olive currently ranks #47 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.