Oliver
Boy name · #3 in 2025 · Very well-known
Oliver is currently the #3 boy name in the United States — 14,939 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #19, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 120 boys born in 2025 was named Oliver.
The 145-year story
Oliver first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 234 boys received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2024, with 15,396 babies and a rank of #3. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Oliver per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Oliver against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Oliver in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Oliver is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Oliver is most common
Geography matters for names, and Oliver is no exception. Adjusted for how many boys are born in each state, Oliver is most common in VT (29 per 1,000), WY (21 per 1,000), ME (20 per 1,000), AK (18 per 1,000), RI (18 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 10 per 1,000 boys. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Oliver is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Oliver
Oliver carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.
Counted as one name, the Oliver family went to about 15,146 boys in 2025 — together they'd rank around #3, versus #3 for Oliver alone.
Names like Oliver
Statistically, parents drawn to Oliver tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Theodore, Henry, Mateo, Asher, and Noah.
TheodoreHenryMateoAsherNoahLiamCooperHudson
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Oliver | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14,939 | #3 |
| 2024 | 15,396 | #3 |
| 2023 | 14,792 | #3 |
| 2022 | 15,176 | #3 |
| 2021 | 14,713 | #3 |
| 2020 | 14,277 | #3 |
| 2019 | 13,967 | #3 |
| 2018 | 13,500 | #5 |
| 2017 | 13,224 | #10 |
| 2016 | 13,066 | #12 |
| 2015 | 11,670 | #19 |
| 2014 | 9,453 | #32 |
| 2013 | 7,276 | #52 |
| 2012 | 5,924 | #73 |
| 2011 | 5,414 | #78 |
| 2010 | 4,666 | #88 |
| 2009 | 4,287 | #98 |
| 2008 | 3,604 | #118 |
| 2007 | 2,910 | #140 |
| 2006 | 2,352 | #173 |
| 2005 | 1,794 | #209 |
| 2004 | 1,491 | #228 |
| 2003 | 1,375 | #245 |
| 2002 | 1,166 | #268 |
| 2001 | 978 | #299 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Oliver a popular boy name?
Oliver ranked #3 among boys in 2025 with 14,939 babies given the name — firmly in the top 100, so yes, it’s a popular choice. Ten years earlier it ranked #19.
When was the name Oliver most popular?
Oliver peaked in 2024, when 15,396 American boys received the name (ranked #3 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Oliver?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 120 newborn American boys was named Oliver. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.