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 2,130
Agricultural Labourer 511
House Servant 193
Labourer 190
Dress Maker 138
Coal Miner 130
Carter 99
House Keeper 82
Servant 80
General Servant 73
Blacksmith 73
Laundress 61
Carpenter 59
House Maid 57
Tailor 56
Domestic Servant 45
Gardener 45
Farmer 45
Grocer 41
Cook 39
Wife Of Above 39
Shoe Maker 38
Joiner 38
Shepherd 37
Copper Miner 35

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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