The baby name Olivia transformed from lovely Shakespearean rarity to chart-topping favorite.
Thanks to Liv for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day
OLIVIA NAME MEANING
William Shakespeare used Olivia in his comedy Twelfth Night.
In fact, some claim he invented the name. But it was in sparing use in England by the time the play was written around 1601.
Oliver was very much in use by Shakespeare’s time, while Olive was heard for baby girls.
The Latin word oliva means olive. There’s a series of Saint Olivas from the early Middle Ages, mostly in Italy.
And, of course, the Bible tells us that Noah knew it was safe to land the ark when a dove returned carrying an olive leaf.
Word play in Twelfth Night suggests the olive reference inspired the name’s choice. The phrase “hold the olive” refers to an olive branch, a traditional symbol of peace. At least one of the saints Oliva is also typically pictured holding such branches.
It’s clear that the olive tree, and all the symbolism associated with it – peace, but also friendship – attach to Olivia, too.
Shakespeare drew extensively more than one Italian comedy for inspiration, but in this case, it’s not clear if the character names come from an earlier writing.
Instead, we can feel confident that from the fictional character to real bearers of the name, Olivia has long meant peace.
20th CENTURY WOMEN
What we do know is that the baby name Olivia never entirely went away. 19th century author Mark Twain was married to a woman named Olivia; she was named after her mother. A handful of British women by the name dot the historical record, too.
It’s ranked in the US Top 1000 every year since 1880, the first year for which we have data. The baby name Olivia ranked #251 in 1900; #293 in 1925; and #275 in 1950. That’s pretty steady.
British-American actress Olivia de Havilland became a Hollywood star in the late 1930s. She scooped up two Academy Awards for Best Actress, including for 1949’s The Heiress.
And yet de Havilland didn’t inspire parents to choose her name.
Author Roald Dahl named his daughter Olivia Twenty in 1955.
By the 1960s, the baby name Olivia slipped into the 500s, reaching an all-time low of #543 in 1971.
THE WALTONS
Then came The Waltons, a TV series about a wholesome, Depression-era family making the best of things during challenging times. It debuted in 1971 with a Christmas special. By the following September, it had become a television staple.
The family included grandparents Zeb and Esther; children John-Boy, Jason, Mary Ellen, Erin, Ben, Jim-Bob, and Elizabeth; plus the parents, John Sr. and Olivia.
Olivia Walton was everything you’d expect in a matriarch – kind and compassionate, but also strict and hard-working.
Her name comes from Spencer’s Mountain, a novel by Earl Hamner Jr., loosely based on his childhood in rural Virginia. Though Hamner’s mom was named Doris.
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
Not long after, the world met singer Olivia Newton-John. The Australia native won a talent contest, headed for the US, recorded the ballad “I Honestly Love You,” and scored her first hit.
That was 1974. In 1978, Newton-John starred as Sandy in Grease. Then came roller-skating extravaganza Xanadu. In the 1980s, she scored a massive smash hit with her album and hit single “Physical,” an anthem to the era’s aerobics craze.
FAMOUS OLIVIAS
As Olivia transitioned from literary possibility to top name, we met many more famous women, including:
- In 1976, Sesame Street introduced us to Gordon’s sister, Olivia Robinson.
- During the later seasons of runaway hit The Cosby Show, Olivia Kendall was added to the cast, the cute stepchild of Denise Huxtable. Raven-Symoné played the part.
- Actress Olivia d’Abo played Kevin’s cool older sister in The Wonder Years.
- Mariska Hargitay played Detective Olivia Benson on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from 1999 through today.
- From 2012 to 2018, Scandal gave us the Olivia Pope. Brilliant and intense, she’s a Washington DC crisis management expert who untangled all sorts of impossible situations.
- Olivia Colman played Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown, one of her many famous roles.
There’s also Fringe and The Walking Dead, as well as soap operas Guiding Light and The Young and the Restless.
Ian Falconer gave us the dramatic pig and the heart of the Olivia series beginning way back in 2000.
Singer Olivia Rodrigo keeps the name in the spotlight now.
That’s barely scratching the surface.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME OLIVIA?
The one-two pop culture punch in the 1970s gave very different Olivias. One was all about homemade dresses and mason jars; the other, leg warms and serious eye make-up.
It created space for this beautiful name to feel like it worked for everyone. Glamorous and sensible. Fresh but also rooted in the past.
During the 1990s, the most popular girls’ names included Jessica, Amanda, Melissa, Alyssa, and Samantha. Olivia was the perfect name to join that club, and in 1990 the name entered the US Top 100 for the first time at #72.
By 2001, the name entered the USA Top Ten for the first time.
And in 2019, Olivia unseated Emma, taking over the #1 spot.
It’s a favorite across the English-speaking world and beyond. Olivia ranks in the Top Ten in Belgium, Denmark, Canada, England & Wales, Ireland, Hungary, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovakai, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, too.
VARIANTS and NICKNAMES
As with any common name, spelling variations like Olyvia developed. But there’s more, too:
- Alivia stands at #484. It seems to have developed based on pronunciation preferences, an AH sound rather than an OH. Alyvia is also seen.
- Livia is a separate name with ancient Roman roots, a feminine form of Livius. That name might mean blue or envious.
- Liv comes in at #896. This can be a nickname or a full name. It’s also an independent Scandi choice, based on the Old Norse word for protection, but also associated with a modern word meaning life.
Livvy, Livvie, Livy, and more spellings of the nickname are also seen. Ollie and Allie might work, for the O and A spellings, respectively.
In RJ Palacio’s young adult book turned movie Wonder, Auggie Pullman’s older sister is named Olivia, but called Via.
As of 2025, Olive comes in at #197 for girls, while Oliver stands at #3 for boys. Feminine forms like Olivie, Olivine, and Olivette remain rare, but they’re not completely unknown.
CHART-TOPPING FAVORITE
Flowing and romantic, with a literary backstory and rich symbolism, Olivia is the perfect baby name in many senses.
But it’s also a runaway success, an early 21st century name forever associated wtih this generation. That’s not a bad thing at all! But it’s something consider if you’re hoping for a name that stands out.
If you don’t mind sharing, though? Olivia has been worn by world-changing women and promises to wear well over a lifetime.
What do you think of the baby name Olivia?
First published on October 29, 2013, this post was revised substantially and re-published on November 28, 2020; April 13, 2022; April 29, 2024; May 10, 2024; and September 2, 2026.
I had Olivia on my list for years! I’m a nineties baby and knew one growing up and 2 in college and have a great aunt named Olivia. But as I met more and more young kids or infants named Olivia after my son was born I decided to scratch it off the list. It’s a lovely name it’s just too common where I live. Especially since my other two kids have more “sweet spot” names for where we live.
I’m an Olivia born in 1979. I was 19 years old before I met another person with my name (and I live in a large metropolitan area) and she was an elderly woman in her 80s. Nowadays, you can barely turn around without bumping into an Olivia, but they are all under 10 years old. Extremely rare to meet an Olivia my age, even though I was born right after the Grease explosion. My parents did not name me after Olivia Newton-John, though I get asked that often enough. It was just a name they both liked…the only one they both liked, actually.
As a child, I fell in love with Olivia while watching Avonlea on the Disney channel. There are too many Olivias for my liking where we live, or I would consider it for a daughter. Incidentally, Avonlea also introduced me to Felicity, Cecily, and Jasper. I really miss that show. 🙂
I love the name Olivia. It has it all. Plus, for reasons unknown, it’s not one I get sick of hearing. Sophia and Isabella feel done to death, but no matter how many Olivias I meet I always feel like it’s a tasteful choice. I feel similarly about Eva.
Would I use it tomorrow? Sadly, probably not, but if I hadn’t started watching name stats my daughters would have been Lorelei and Olivia.
What did you name your daughters instead? I used to love Olivia when I was a teen. Now that it has become so popular, I like Catherine and Laurel instead.
Sarah, I probably worded that badly. I don’t have any yet, but my fingers are crossed for one day! I just meant that those were my top choices for years (a decade really, since I was teenager) and would have ended up being used if I hadn’t discovered the SSA database. If I was naming a daughter tomorrow I would probably use the understated Griet (I’ve loved it since reading Girl With a Pearl Earring). That or the long-form Margriet, with the intention of calling her Griet 🙂 Catharine and Laurel are lovely, classic choices, I hope you get to use them!
What about the Cosby show darling, played by Raven Symone? Most people of my generation might have filed that name away for future use.
I essentially feel that I would love my name if it were not in the top ten, and maybe also if my middle name were not Grace. My parents also totally thought they were trendsetters. I guess Grace was not a default middle name in the 50s and 60s, when they were named. They should have named me Alice instead as my mother wanted. I will say though that in my particular area Olivia is not too common.