Oliphant
A surname originally linked to the word for “elephant,” likely first used as a nickname for a big or sturdy person.
The #5,931 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 53,159 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Oliphant goes back to medieval forms of the word for “elephant,” such as Middle English olifant and Old French olifant. Those words ultimately come from Latin elephantus and Greek elephas, so the surname is basically built on the elephant name. In surname use, it was probably first applied as a nickname, likely suggesting size, heaviness, or some other elephant-like quality.
History
The name appears in medieval Scotland and is also found in English records, with early spellings including Oliphant, Olivant, and Olyphant. One historical note suggests a Scottish family name may also have been influenced by or confused with a place-name form like de Oliphard, so the precise family-history pathway is not entirely certain. The surname later spread into North America and remains best known through Scottish lines and their descendants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Chaucer uses the related medieval word form in his writing, which helped later lexicographers connect the surname with the word for an elephant.
From the historical record
“(Lat.), q.v. OLIPHANT] (A.-Fr.-Lat.-Gr.) a nickname OLIVANT I and sign - name from the OLLIVANT J Elephant [M.E. olifant,olifaunt, ollivant, oliphatit, elyphaunt; O.Fr. olifant, elefant; I^at. elepha(tijs, -antis ; GT.i\i<j)as, -avTos, elephant]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)