Olivia is a Latin name that means "olive tree." It was popularized in 17th-century England by William Shakespeare, who used the name for a character in his play Twelfth Night. The play – a romantic comedy – features a Countess Olivia who is both wealthy and beautiful.
Olivia is a feminine alternative to the popular boy's name, Oliver. It's pronounced oh-liv-ee-ah and is most commonly spelled Olivia. You may see it spelled as Olyvia or Alyvia occasionally.
This sweet, vintage-sounding name lends itself to many winning nicknames and shorter versions including Liv, Livvy, Livia, Olive, Ollie, Via, and Vivi. Olivia is simple to pronounce, melodic to say, and carries a sense of feminine strength. Characters like Olivia Pope from the television show Scandal and Olivia Benson from the show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit give this name strong female-lead vibes.
Olivia has been a top-10 girls name in the U.S. since 2001 and is also wildly popular in Britain, Australia, and Canada. According to the Social Security Administration's list, Olivia was the number-one name for baby girls in the U.S. in 2019 and 2020.
BabyCenter parents are also big fans of this name, keeping it in the number-one spot for baby girls since 2019. (BabyCenter's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby's name with us.)
If you welcomed a baby Olivia in the past ten years, you're far from alone! These days, Olivia is everywhere – it's a common name among actresses and singers from Olivia Newton-John to Olivia Rodrigo. And, don't forget it's a popular song by boy band One Direction.
It's easy to see why this name has such a wide appeal. Even though it's extremely popular, it doesn't feel trendy or lightweight. And with few mainstream girl names starting with O, Olivia may be common, but it also stands out. It's a worthy name to carry the crown as America's most popular name for girls.
