Oliver Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Oliver Name Meaning: Taken from the French name 'Olivier' meaning 'Olive tree'. May have also derived from the German name 'Alfihar' which means 'elf army'.

This name derives from the French word 'Olivier' which was brought over by the Normans. It was also the name of a knight in a popular 12th Century French poem.

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Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Oliver Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Oliver family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 1,661
Agricultural Labourer 493
House Servant 299
Labourer 163
At Home 159
Farm Labourer 153
Dress Maker 118
Servant 116
Coal Miner 112
Pauper 74
General Servant 70
Annuitant 60
House Keeper 54
Carpenter 53
Farm Servant 53
Tailor 53
Blacksmith 53
Shoe Maker 50
Miner 45
Laundress 44
Gardener 42
Ag Labourer 38
Butcher 37
Scholar At Home 37
Grocer 37

Oliver Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Oliver 100% 143,908
2 Lever 67% 17,877
3 Leaver 50% 13,312
4 Laver 67% 8,323
5 Olliver 86% 4,373
6 Olver 83% 4,173
7 Lover 67% 2,095
8 Liver 83% 969
9 Olivier 86% 620
10 Elver 67% 325
11 Levoir 33% 171
12 Aliver 83% 170
13 Lievre 33% 168
14 Oilver 67% 160
15 Alver 67% 109
16 Olever 83% 106

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The surname Oliver is the most popular version of all its varients

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