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 3,978
Agricultural Labourer 388
Coal Miner 239
Domestic Servant 205
Dress Maker 183
General Labourer 166
Labourer 166
General Servant 152
Annuitant 99
Farm Labourer 96
Laundress 90
General Servant Domestic 77
Carpenter 70
House Keeper 70
Joiner 55
Servant 52
General Domestic Servant 50
Shepherd 49
Farmers Son 46
Bricklayer 45
Painter 45
No Occupation 44
Tailor 44
Fisherman 44
Farm Servant Indoor 42

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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