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 2,837
Agricultural Labourer 464
Labourer 298
Domestic Servant 194
General Servant 175
Dress Maker 146
Coal Miner 132
House Keeper 104
Servant 85
Laundress 82
Carpenter 77
Annuitant 76
Blacksmith 69
Tailor 64
Gardener 61
Farm Servant 57
Joiner 55
Farm Labourer 54
Miner 53
Cook 45
Shoe Maker 45
Farmer 44
Butcher 41
General Servant Domestic 41
Painter 39

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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