UK name, mostly boys
Olivier
From the Old French name Olivier, a masculine name meaning "olive tree".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Olivier is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Olivier popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #898, with 35 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2010, with 175 births.
This profile covers 2,192 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 20% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 2,427 living people in the UK are called Olivier. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Olivier ranked #898 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 35 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2010, when 175 boys were registered as Olivier.
- • Olivier ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #365 in 2019.
- • About 2,427 living people in the UK are estimated to have Olivier as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.9% of Olivier registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#898
2024
Births in 2024
35
Latest year
Peak year
2010
175 births
Estimated living
2,427
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Olivier
In England and Wales birth records, Olivier has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 99.9% of registrations are for boys and 0.1% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Olivier registered for boys
- Ranked #898 in 2024
- 35 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2010 (175 births)
Olivier registered for girls
- Ranked #5,765 in 2017
- 3 girls registered in 2017
- Peak: 2017 (3 births)
Meaning
What does Olivier mean?
The name Olivier has its origins in the Latin "Olivarius" or "Olivaris," which means "olive tree" or "related to olives." It is a French form of the Latin name Oliver. The name gained popularity during the Middle Ages in France and other parts of Western Europe.
In the 12th century, the name Olivier was associated with the legendary figure of Oliver, one of the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne and a close companion of the French hero Roland. Oliver's exploits were immortalized in the epic poem "The Song of Roland," which helped spread the name's fame across Europe.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Olivier was Olivier de Termes, a 12th-century French nobleman and crusader. He participated in the Third Crusade and played a significant role in the siege of Acre in 1191.
During the Renaissance period, the name Olivier gained further prominence. Olivier de la Marche (1426-1501) was a Burgundian chronicler and court historian who wrote extensively about the Dukes of Burgundy. Another notable figure was Olivier de Clisson (1336-1407), a French military leader and Constable of France during the Hundred Years' War.
In the 16th century, Olivier de Serres (1539-1619) was a French writer and agronomist, often referred to as the "father of French agriculture." His influential work, "Théâtre d'Agriculture et Mesnage des Champs" (The Theater of Agriculture and Manual of Fields), played a significant role in advancing agricultural practices in France.
The name Olivier also had a literary presence. Olivier Basselin (c. 1400-1450) was a French poet credited with popularizing the vaux-de-vire, a style of satirical poetry. Olivier Twist, the main character in Charles Dickens' famous novel "Oliver Twist" (1838), contributed to the recognition of the name in the English-speaking world.
In the 20th century, Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was a renowned French composer, organist, and ornithologist, known for incorporating bird songs into his compositions. Olivier Gendebien (1924-1998) was a Belgian racing driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice, in 1958 and 1960.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Olivier over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Olivier in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Olivier, the clearest high point is 2010. The latest England and Wales figure is 35 births in 2024, compared with 175 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Olivier by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Olivier was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #653 | 287 | 5 |
| 2010s | #346 | 1,316 | 10 |
| 2000s | #931 | 551 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1345 | 38 | 4 |
Geography
Where Olivier is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Olivier. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Olivier ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #365 in 2019.
Across the UK
Olivier in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#727 in 2024
18 years of NRS records, 188 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#365 in 2019
12 years of NISRA records, 62 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Olivier
-
Olivier Robert-Murphy
businessperson
French music executive
1966-
-
Olivier Clermont-Tonnerre
businessperson
1951-
Related
Names similar to Olivier
- Oliver 157,197
- Oscar 67,495
- Owen 33,517
- Ollie 13,193
- Oakley 9,838
- Omar 6,823
- Otis 6,395
- Oskar 4,827
- Olly 4,403
- Otto 3,839
- Osian 3,145
- Owain 2,310
FAQ
Olivier: questions and answers
How popular is the name Olivier in the UK right now?
In 2024, Olivier was ranked #898 for boys in England and Wales, with 35 births registered.
When was Olivier most popular?
The peak year on record was 2010, with 175 babies registered as Olivier in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Olivier?
From the Old French name Olivier, a masculine name meaning "olive tree".
How many people are called Olivier in the UK?
A total of 2,192 babies have been registered as Olivier across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 188 more in Scotland and 62 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Olivier most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Olivier ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #365 in 2019. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.