Olivia

The name Olivia is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "olive tree". Olivia is one of the top US baby names as well as a popular girls' name in English-speaking and European countries around the world. Records of the name Olivia exist from as far back as 13th century England, but the name was popularized after Shakespeare used it for the name of the countess in Twelfth Night. Olivia is based off of the Latin word oliva, meaning “olive.” In ancient Greece, the olive was a symbol of Athena as well as a token of peace and fertility, and olive wreaths were awarded to the winners at the Olympic games. Olivia, a lovely Shakespearean name with an admirable balance of strength and femininity, is one of the top girls' names in the world. Like her sisters Isabella and Sophia, Olivia is a megapopular name not only in the US but in the UK, Australia, Canada, and throughout the Western World. Olivia is currently the Number 2 name for baby girls in the US, and could be heading towards the very top of the list—so don't say we didn't warn you. It's the undisputed queen of the only four girl names starting with O in the US Top 1000. In the UK, Olivia was the recent Number 1 girls' name in tandem with twin brother Oliver at the top of the charts. It is still the top girls' name in Canada and Number 4 in both Australia and Scotland. Olivia has been a popular starbaby name for fifteen years, and has also been a well-used TV character name, such as in Olivia Benson on Law & Order SVU and the recent powerful lead Olivia Pope on Scandal. Golden Age star Olivia de Havilland was influential in bringing the name to U.S. attention, followed by Olivia Newton-John, and now we have Olivias Wilde, Munn and Williams. If you love popular names, Olivia might be the perfect choice for you, but parents in search of a distinctive name will have to keep looking. Some related alternatives: Olive, Livia, Liv. Feminine form of the name Oliver. The name very well may have originated from Shakespeare himself as the name of his heroine in “Twelfth Night”. While only modestly popular for most of the twentieth century, Olivia has really leapt to the top of the charts as one of the top go-to names for girls in recent years and will join all of the Isabellas, Sophias, and Emmas of the world as ones who will always have to use their last name to distinguish who is who in class. Too popular for you? Try Olive, or the more obscure Italian name Oliva.