Olivia
/oʊˈlɪviə/
A name from the Latin word for olive that has been #1 since 2019.
Latin · from the word oliva
A countess in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night helped make it famous. In 2025 there were 13,544, after a low of 325 in 1968.
Olivia at a glance
What Olivia means
A Latin name for the olive tree, a symbol of peace — from the word oliva
Olivia comes from the Latin word oliva, the olive or olive tree, which has long stood for peace. Both Oliva and Olivia were already in use in English-speaking countries as early as the thirteenth century, so the name is far older than its recent fame.
The name was already centuries old when Shakespeare gave it to Olivia, the wealthy countess in his comedy Twelfth Night, and that character helped to make it widely known. The singer and actress Olivia Newton-John is one of the figures often credited with giving it fresh momentum in the 1970s.
In the Social Security files Olivia appears in every year since 1880, and it was already in use at #215 in 1881. It slid to its quietest in 1968, when only 325 girls received it. It passed 1,000 in 1975, reached the top ten in 2001 and became the most popular girls’ name in the country in 2019. It has held that spot every year since 2019. It peaked at 19,840 in 2014, and in 2025 it is #1 with 13,544 girls.
Source and context
The name history comes from Wikipedia, the play and the people from linked Wikipedia pages, and every number from US Social Security data. We rewrite everything in our own words.
- Paragraph 1 Wikipedia: Olivia (given name)
- Paragraph 2 Wikipedia: Twelfth Night, Wikipedia: Olivia (given name)
- Paragraph 3 US Social Security Administration
- Note Wikipedia: Twelfth Night
The numbers behind Olivia
A look at the rankings over time and across places.
Olivia at the top of the chart
How Olivia ranks among girls’ names each year, 2015 to 2025. A lower number means more popular.
Olivia’s rank climbed from #2 in 2015 to #1 in 2025, matching its best (first reached in 2019).
In babies the change is bigger than the rank suggests: 19,729 girls in 2015 and 13,544 in 2025, down 31%.
Key moments for Olivia
- 1968Quietest year
325 girls · rank #528 - 1975Passed 1,000
1,049 girls · rank #232 - 2001First top ten
#10 among girls · 13,977 girls - 2014Most babies
19,840 girls · rank #2 - 2019First time at #1
#1 · 18,577 girls - 2025Latest year
#1 among girls · 13,544 girls
Olivia is strong across the country
Ranked by how popular Olivia is among girls’ names in each state in 2025 (in-state rank, not births per head). Olivia is the most popular girls’ name in 7 of the 51 places, among them California, Florida and Illinois, and it is #2 in 8 more. It is in the top ten in 46 of the 51 places in the data, which is why most of the map is dark: Olivia is strong almost everywhere, not just in a few places.
- 1Arizona#1
- 2California#1
- 3Florida#1
- 4Illinois#1
- 5Nevada#1
- 6Oklahoma#1
- 7Washington#1
- 8Colorado#2
Olivia across the decades
Babies named Olivia in the US each year, 1880 to 2025.
In use since 1880, quiet by 1968,
then #1 since 2019.
Olivia has been recorded every year since 1880. It reached 536 girls in 1922, fell to 325 in 1968, peaked at 19,840 in 2014 and stood at 13,544 in 2025.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national baby name data, 1880–2025. Calculation: NameMochi.
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The story around Olivia
Notable people and namesakes
Well-known bearers include the actor Olivia de Havilland (1916–2020), the singer and actor Olivia Newton-John (1948–2022), the English actor Olivia Colman (born 1974) and the American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo (born 2003).
Olivia in pop culture
Twelfth Night Play
In Shakespeare’s comedy, Olivia is a wealthy countess who falls in love with Viola, who is disguised as a young man called Cesario.
Law & Order: SVU TV series
Olivia Benson is one of the series’ major characters.
Scandal TV series
Olivia Pope is a major character in the television series.
Spellings and sounds like Olivia
Names like Olivia
Computed from the same Social Security data as the Name Finder: the names at the top today and names rising in the same way.
Compare names
Four names near the top of the chart: Olivia (#1), Charlotte (#2), Emma (#3), Amelia (#4). Two of them have lost ground since 2015.
| Name | Style | Latest rank | Change since 2015 | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olivia | Latin · Four syllables · Timeless | #1 | ↑ 1 place | Cooling |
| Emma | Timeless classic | #3 | ↓ 2 places | Cooling |
| Charlotte | Royal classic | #2 | ↑ 7 places | Steady |
| Amelia | Vintage favorite | #4 | ↑ 8 places | Rising |
Change is the move in rank since 2015, so a name can climb in rank while fewer babies are given it.
Stage compares the number of babies named in 2025 with 2015 (rising or cooling at 25% or more, fast at 50% or more).
What draws people to Olivia
- Warm and melodic, easy to say and to spell.Our view
- Old Latin roots and the olive tree as a symbol of peace.Our view
- In the top 5 for 18 years in a row, since 2008.From the data
- Almost entirely a girl’s name: 99.9% of babies named Olivia are girls.From the data
- It pairs well with both short and long middle names.Our view
Things to consider
- Very common: 13,544 girls in 2025. In a large school you may meet more than one Olivia.Our view
- It has cooled from its peak: 19,840 in 2014, 13,544 in 2025, and down 31% since 2015.From the data
- Spelling: Olive (1,604 babies) and Alivia (619 babies) were also given in 2025.From the data
Common questions about Olivia
Is Olivia a boy’s name or a girl’s name?
Olivia is a girl’s name. In 2025, 13,544 girls were named Olivia against 10 boys.
What does Olivia mean?
Olivia comes from the Latin oliva, the olive tree, a symbol of peace. It was in use long before Shakespeare, and a character in his comedy Twelfth Night helped to popularize it.
How common is the name Olivia?
Very common. In 2025, 13,554 American babies were named Olivia, which ranks #1 among girls. It has been the single most popular girl’s name every year since 2019.
Is Olivia still rising?
Not at the moment. Olivia peaked in 2014 with 19,840 girls and has eased since, to 13,544 in 2025. Over ten years the count is down 31%, yet it still ranks #1, close to its best of #1 in 2019.
Who are some people named Olivia?
Examples include the actors Olivia de Havilland and Olivia Colman and the singers Olivia Newton-John and Olivia Rodrigo. Olivia is also the countess in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Olivia takes its name from the olive tree, a long-standing symbol of peace. Explore more names in the Finder →
How these numbers are built
Sources → Calculations → Limitations
Sources
- The US Social Security Administration’s national and state baby name files, built from Social Security card applications for births in the United States.SSA baby name data
- Data year
- Births through 2025. New data arrives each May, and we recalculate this page then.
- Dates
- Published October 2026. Last updated October 2026.
- Word and history sources
- Name history, the play and the people who share the name come from reference works.Wikipedia: Olivia (given name)Wikipedia: Twelfth NightWikipedia: Olivia de HavillandWikipedia: Olivia Newton-JohnWikipedia: Olivia ColmanWikipedia: Olivia Rodrigo
Calculations
- Ranks
- A rank is the name’s position among girls or among boys in the SSA file for that year (most babies = #1). Girls and boys are ranked separately.
- Counts
- Babies given exactly this spelling. Spelling variants are counted separately.
- Growth, peaks, milestones, shares and comparisons are calculated by NameMochi from those files.How NameMochi calculates
- Similar names
- Groups are computed from the same files: the names at the top today and names rising in the same way. Names are on the same gender side as this one, and spelling twins count once.
- Stat cards
- The five cards are the most informative facts available for this name, picked by a score and shown in a fixed order.
Limitations
- US births only. The files record the sex shown on the application, which says nothing about how a child later identifies. Names given to fewer than five babies in a year are left out.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Calculation: NameMochi.