Girl nameCurrently #1 in the USSteady
Olivia
oh-LIV-ee-uh//oʊˈlɪviə//
4 syllablesPeak year: 20146 lettersStarts with O
Meaning & origin
Olive tree
Olivia is generally traced to the Latin 'oliva' (olive tree), a symbol of peace and fruitfulness; some scholars think Shakespeare coined the form for Twelfth Night by feminizing Oliver. It stayed rare for centuries before climbing rapidly from the 1990s onward to become one of the most popular English-language girls' names of the 21st century.
Olivia's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Olivia |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 44 |
| 1881 | 51 |
| 1882 | 52 |
| 1883 | 46 |
| 1884 | 54 |
| 1885 | 59 |
| 1886 | 72 |
| 1887 | 69 |
| 1888 | 71 |
| 1889 | 100 |
| 1890 | 85 |
| 1891 | 66 |
| 1892 | 101 |
| 1893 | 107 |
| 1894 | 127 |
| 1895 | 117 |
| 1896 | 114 |
| 1897 | 131 |
| 1898 | 141 |
| 1899 | 110 |
| 1900 | 167 |
| 1901 | 126 |
| 1902 | 130 |
| 1903 | 130 |
| 1904 | 157 |
| 1905 | 153 |
| 1906 | 181 |
| 1907 | 171 |
| 1908 | 181 |
| 1909 | 179 |
| 1910 | 211 |
| 1911 | 191 |
| 1912 | 285 |
| 1913 | 287 |
| 1914 | 340 |
| 1915 | 372 |
| 1916 | 446 |
| 1917 | 476 |
| 1918 | 466 |
| 1919 | 471 |
| 1920 | 523 |
| 1921 | 502 |
| 1922 | 536 |
| 1923 | 535 |
| 1924 | 507 |
| 1925 | 532 |
| 1926 | 466 |
| 1927 | 499 |
| 1928 | 442 |
| 1929 | 465 |
| 1930 | 410 |
| 1931 | 387 |
| 1932 | 399 |
| 1933 | 375 |
| 1934 | 359 |
| 1935 | 371 |
| 1936 | 381 |
| 1937 | 398 |
| 1938 | 445 |
| 1939 | 428 |
| 1940 | 540 |
| 1941 | 593 |
| 1942 | 748 |
| 1943 | 694 |
| 1944 | 735 |
| 1945 | 621 |
| 1946 | 728 |
| 1947 | 857 |
| 1948 | 848 |
| 1949 | 854 |
| 1950 | 769 |
| 1951 | 665 |
| 1952 | 694 |
| 1953 | 620 |
| 1954 | 645 |
| 1955 | 604 |
| 1956 | 542 |
| 1957 | 521 |
| 1958 | 557 |
| 1959 | 489 |
| 1960 | 484 |
| 1961 | 435 |
| 1962 | 428 |
| 1963 | 448 |
| 1964 | 425 |
| 1965 | 442 |
| 1966 | 334 |
| 1967 | 347 |
| 1968 | 324 |
| 1969 | 348 |
| 1970 | 349 |
| 1971 | 335 |
| 1972 | 345 |
| 1973 | 360 |
| 1974 | 512 |
| 1975 | 1,058 |
| 1976 | 1,239 |
| 1977 | 1,112 |
| 1978 | 1,317 |
| 1979 | 1,260 |
| 1980 | 1,121 |
| 1981 | 1,031 |
| 1982 | 1,127 |
| 1983 | 1,089 |
| 1984 | 1,173 |
| 1985 | 1,025 |
| 1986 | 1,241 |
| 1987 | 1,711 |
| 1988 | 2,150 |
| 1989 | 2,469 |
| 1990 | 4,643 |
| 1991 | 5,611 |
| 1992 | 5,825 |
| 1993 | 6,350 |
| 1994 | 6,442 |
| 1995 | 7,638 |
| 1996 | 8,137 |
| 1997 | 9,491 |
| 1998 | 10,626 |
| 1999 | 11,275 |
| 2000 | 12,861 |
| 2001 | 13,988 |
| 2002 | 14,647 |
| 2003 | 16,176 |
| 2004 | 16,181 |
| 2005 | 15,722 |
| 2006 | 15,524 |
| 2007 | 16,605 |
| 2008 | 17,118 |
| 2009 | 17,461 |
| 2010 | 17,065 |
| 2011 | 17,351 |
| 2012 | 17,350 |
| 2013 | 18,477 |
| 2014 | 19,859 |
| 2015 | 19,735 |
| 2016 | 19,425 |
| 2017 | 18,789 |
| 2018 | 18,064 |
| 2019 | 18,581 |
| 2020 | 17,695 |
| 2021 | 17,850 |
| 2022 | 16,670 |
| 2023 | 15,319 |
| 2024 | 14,734 |
Olivia through the decades
- Olivia peaked in 2014, when 19,859 babies were named Olivia in the US.
- Olivia currently ranks #1 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
LivLivvyOllie
Variants & spellings
OliviaOlivaAlivia
Famous people named Olivia
- Olivia de Havilland — actress
- Olivia Colman — actress