You may know him as Charles Dickens’ orphan-turned-thief.  But in many neighborhoods, today’s choice is simply one worn by small boys – a wealth of them.

Thanks to Lola for suggesting our Name of the Day: the fashionable Oliver.

The literary Oliver was named by a parish workhouse official.  His story highlights the social ills of 19th century England, but ends happily.  In fact, the serious Oliver Twist is best known to many of us through the music of the cheerful 1960s stage adaptation, Oliver!  Go ahead – hum along to “Consider Yourself” as you read the rest of this post.

His roots are literary.  In the 1100s, Olivier was friend and advisor to the hero of the French literary import,The Song of Roland.  Roland was reckless; Olivier cautious and wise.  Olivier derives from the Germanic Alfihar.  Like Alfred, this is another elf name – in this case, elf army.  

Alfihar merged with the Latin oliva.  As the olive branch became a symbol of peace, the name’s spelling switched to an O.  It’s also while you’ll sometimes see Oliver’s meaning listed as peace or even wisdom, though neither is etymologically accurate.

He wasn’t as popular as John or Geoffrey, but we find Oliver in steady use in Medieval England.  That’s quite different today.  In the UK, Oliver was the third most popular name in 2007, behind only Jack and Thomas.  He’s hot in Scandinavia, too ranking #14 in Norway, #12 in Sweden and #7 in Denmark.

On our shores, Oliver was a Top 100 regular in the late 19th century, but was far less commonly heard for most of the 20th century.  He’s been climbing since 1992.  Last year, he came in at #140 – his best position since 1924.  The feminine Olivia proceeded her brother up the charts, and currently stands at #7.

Many modern parents first heard Oliver on television.  As the six Brady kids reached young adulthood, Mike and Carol conveniently arranged to take the bespectacled Cousin Oliver.  His addition to the cast failed to save the show, but it cemented Oliver’s place in television history.  Similar casting decisions by aging series are referred to as “Cousin Oliver Syndrome.” 

In addition to the urchin and the moppet, there’s:

• Soldier turned revolutionary Oliver Cromwell, who became Lord Protector of England in the 1600s;
• Comedian Oliver Hardy;
• Oliver Tambo, a colleague of Nelson Mandela’s in the anti-apartheid movement;
• Film director Oliver Stone;
• 17th century Saint Oliver Plunkett, the last Catholic martyr to die in England;
• Legendary Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Odds are that the name will continue to rise in the US.  Besides the continuing popularity of similar throwback names like Charlie and Sam, it’s also worn by actor Mitchel Musso on the wildly popularly Hannah Montana.  Surely some tweens who are toying with calling a future daughter Miley will consider Oliver, too.

For most American parents, Oliver will offer a pleasing compromise – familiar, rising in popularity, but not yet as common as Jacob or William.  With the friendly nickname Ollie, he wears equally well on a small child and an adult.  But if you’re hoping for something truly unusual, you’ll need to go a little farther.  Odds are that many parents will continue to discover Oliver’s charms.