Oliver
A surname from the given name Oliver, probably strengthened in Britain by French and Scandinavian influence.
The #264 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,664 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Oliver comes from the medieval personal name Oliver, which entered English through French. The French form is usually linked to the name of the olive tree, from Latin oliva and related forms meaning "olive." Some older scholars also thought Scandinavian names such as Old Norse Olver or similar forms helped boost the name’s popularity in Britain, so the surname may reflect more than one stream of influence.
History
As a surname, Oliver is usually patronymic, meaning "son of Oliver" or "family of Oliver." It was already established in medieval England, and historical records show it in places such as Devon and elsewhere in the 13th century. The surname also appears in French and in families of French extraction in Britain, and it later spread widely in the English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The short form "Noll" was once used as a nickname for Oliver, and Oliver Goldsmith was famously called Noll.
From the historical record
“(Sca:nd.) for OKOiff, q.v. OLIVER \ the French Olivier, O.Fr. also OLLIVER J Oliver [normally Fr. olivier, olive (-tree: hai. olivari-us, ' 01 oVixes' ; I. oliva, the olive ; but almost certainly Scand. nomenclature has had its influence on the great vogue of Oliver — if not the common O.N. Oieif-r itself…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Oliver
- Jamie Oliver (b. 1975)
- John Oliver (b. 1977)
- Mary Oliver (1935–2019)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.