girl's name
Olivia
oh-LIV-ee-uh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 4
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 819,156
the United States
#1
2025 births
Olivia is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "olive tree," used as the feminine form of Oliver. It first appears in English literature in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, written around 1601, where it names the play's countess — one of the earliest recorded uses of the name in England.
- Olivia is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 19,863 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 245 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 4 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Olivia over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. 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 | 618 |
| 1890s | 1,099 |
| 1900s | 1,575 |
| 1910s | 3,545 |
| 1920s | 5,007 |
| 1930s | 3,953 |
| 1940s | 7,218 |
| 1950s | 6,106 |
| 1960s | 4,016 |
| 1970s | 7,884 |
| 1980s | 14,136 |
| 1990s | 76,038 |
| 2000s | 156,289 |
| 2010s | 184,729 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 95,923 |
What Olivia means
The name Olivia carries the symbolism of the olive tree, long associated in Mediterranean and biblical tradition with peace, abundance, and reconciliation — most famously the olive branch brought back to Noah's ark as a sign the flood had ended.
Where Olivia comes from
Olivia is generally treated by name scholars as a feminine coinage from Oliver, a name that entered England with the Normans. Oliver's own roots are debated: one theory traces it to the Old Norse Áleifr (ancestor of Olaf), carried into French as Olivier and reshaped there under the influence of the Latin word oliva, "olive tree." Whatever its deeper roots, by the time Shakespeare wrote Twelfth Night around 1601, Olivia read clearly as a Latinate, olive-associated name suitable for a countess. The name stayed rare for centuries afterward, used mainly as a literary or aristocratic choice, before becoming an established English given name.
Olivia in use
Olivia is one of a small number of English names that can be traced to a specific work of literature rather than to folk or religious use.
How popular is Olivia?
In 2025, Olivia was given to 13,554 babies in the United States, ranking #1 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Olivia is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Olivia is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Olívia | Olívia is a rare spelling of Olivia, written with a fada and recorded 22 times, mostly in Ireland. | 22 |
Names that peaked alongside Olivia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Olivia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Olivia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
7 nicknames for Olivia
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.
Olivia 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 Olivia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Olivia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Olivia
What does the name Olivia mean?
Olivia means "olive tree," from the Latin oliva, and is traditionally read as the feminine form of Oliver.
Where does the name Olivia come from?
Olivia is believed to have been coined by William Shakespeare as a feminine form of Oliver for his play Twelfth Night, written around 1601.
What are common nicknames for Olivia?
Liv, Livvy, and Ollie are the most common short forms of Olivia.
How popular is the name Olivia?
In 2025, Olivia was given to 13,554 babies in the United States, ranking #1 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Olivia a girl's or a boy's name?
Olivia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Olivia?
Olivia has 4 syllables.
When was Olivia most popular?
Olivia peaked in 2014, when 19,863 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Olivia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Olivia currently ranks #1 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.