Olive
Olive was given to 1,597 girls in 2025, #197 among girls’ names; 67,320 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 24,900 Americans named Olive and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (37% of everyone recorded); the median is 8 years old and half are between 4 and 14.
Olive came back: it left the girls’ top 1,000 after 1950 and returned in 2007.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Olive by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Olive mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Olive is “a female given name from English.” Its etymology gives the sense “olive” (Oliva).
Also “a male given name from English.”
Medieval form of the Latin saint’s name Oliva “olive”; revived in the 19th century when flower and plant names became fashionable. The surname is topographical, often representing an Anglicization of continental European surnames such as Spanish Oliva.
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Olive?
#197 among girls’ names, 2025
Olive rose from #264 in 2015 to #197 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born rose from 0.68 to 1.0 per 1,000.
1,841 babies in 2022, the peak
Olive peaked in 2022, when 1,841 babies were given it (1,836 girls, #159 among girls’ names). The 1,604 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 87% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,597 | #197 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | 1,789 | #170 | 1.1 |
| 2023 | 1,651 | #180 | 1.0 |
| 2022 | 1,836 | #159 | 1.1 |
| 2021 | 1,636 | #182 | 1.0 |
| 2020 | 1,491 | #196 | 0.92 |
| 2019 | 1,435 | #214 | 0.85 |
| 2018 | 1,232 | #268 | 0.72 |
| 2017 | 1,253 | #256 | 0.73 |
| 2016 | 1,162 | #273 | 0.66 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1,212 | #264 | 0.68 |
| 2014 | 1,152 | #281 | 0.64 |
| 2013 | 1,097 | #291 | 0.63 |
| 2012 | 860 | #365 | 0.49 |
| 2011 | 763 | #415 | 0.43 |
| 2010 | 541 | #543 | 0.30 |
| 2009 | 512 | #589 | 0.28 |
| 2008 | 358 | #807 | 0.19 |
| 2007 | 271 | #989 | 0.14 |
| 2006 | 116 | #1,793 | 0.06 |
| 2005 | 88 | #2,116 | 0.05 |
| 2004 | 51 | #3,056 | 0.03 |
| 2003 | 51 | #2,983 | 0.03 |
| 2002 | 43 | #3,269 | 0.02 |
| 2001 | 37 | #3,612 | 0.02 |
| 2000 | 35 | #3,710 | 0.02 |
| 1999 | 23 | #4,828 | 0.01 |
| 1998 | 18 | #5,742 | 0.01 |
| 1997 | 15 | #6,403 | 0.01 |
| 1996 | 13 | #7,023 | 0.01 |
| 1995 | 12 | #7,384 | 0.01 |
| 1994 | 8 | #10,253 | under 0.01 |
| 1993 | 16 | #5,858 | 0.01 |
| 1992 | 15 | #6,213 | 0.01 |
| 1991 | 8 | #9,978 | under 0.01 |
| 1990 | 13 | #6,744 | 0.01 |
| 1989 | 10 | #7,862 | 0.01 |
| 1988 | 6 | #11,330 | under 0.01 |
| 1987 | 7 | #9,497 | under 0.01 |
| 1986 | 9 | #7,550 | 0.01 |
| 1985 | 14 | #5,268 | 0.01 |
| 1984 | 8 | #7,932 | under 0.01 |
| 1983 | 11 | #6,094 | 0.01 |
| 1982 | 8 | #7,990 | under 0.01 |
| 1981 | 8 | #7,915 | under 0.01 |
| 1980 | 13 | #5,448 | 0.01 |
| 1979 | 12 | #5,646 | 0.01 |
| 1978 | 9 | #6,763 | 0.01 |
| 1977 | 9 | #6,709 | 0.01 |
| 1976 | 11 | #5,475 | 0.01 |
| 1975 | 15 | #4,295 | 0.01 |
| 1974 | 17 | #3,818 | 0.01 |
| 1973 | 9 | #5,913 | 0.01 |
| 1972 | 13 | #4,465 | 0.01 |
| 1971 | 10 | #5,404 | 0.01 |
| 1970 | 17 | #3,676 | 0.01 |
| 1969 | 19 | #3,167 | 0.01 |
| 1968 | 16 | #3,409 | 0.01 |
| 1967 | 19 | #2,940 | 0.01 |
| 1966 | 22 | #2,637 | 0.01 |
| 1965 | 23 | #2,587 | 0.01 |
| 1964 | 22 | #2,724 | 0.01 |
| 1963 | 28 | #2,286 | 0.01 |
| 1962 | 36 | #1,934 | 0.02 |
| 1961 | 24 | #2,518 | 0.01 |
| 1960 | 48 | #1,631 | 0.02 |
| 1959 | 41 | #1,735 | 0.02 |
| 1958 | 37 | #1,810 | 0.02 |
| 1957 | 56 | #1,417 | 0.03 |
| 1956 | 57 | #1,392 | 0.03 |
| 1955 | 50 | #1,434 | 0.03 |
| 1954 | 58 | #1,304 | 0.03 |
| 1953 | 72 | #1,143 | 0.04 |
| 1952 | 80 | #1,057 | 0.04 |
| 1951 | 67 | #1,148 | 0.04 |
| 1950 | 99 | #891 | 0.06 |
| 1949 | 97 | #901 | 0.06 |
| 1948 | 122 | #779 | 0.07 |
| 1947 | 98 | #895 | 0.06 |
| 1946 | 123 | #730 | 0.08 |
| 1945 | 134 | #630 | 0.10 |
| 1944 | 110 | #721 | 0.08 |
| 1943 | 203 | #530 | 0.15 |
| 1942 | 180 | #555 | 0.13 |
| 1941 | 208 | #487 | 0.17 |
| 1940 | 169 | #528 | 0.15 |
| 1939 | 235 | #441 | 0.21 |
| 1938 | 234 | #440 | 0.21 |
| 1937 | 252 | #408 | 0.24 |
| 1936 | 276 | #382 | 0.27 |
| 1935 | 294 | #371 | 0.28 |
| 1934 | 327 | #347 | 0.31 |
| 1933 | 387 | #317 | 0.38 |
| 1932 | 484 | #283 | 0.45 |
| 1931 | 514 | #274 | 0.48 |
| 1930 | 539 | #278 | 0.48 |
| 1929 | 651 | #245 | 0.58 |
| 1928 | 790 | #223 | 0.68 |
| 1927 | 879 | #216 | 0.74 |
| 1926 | 872 | #213 | 0.74 |
| 1925 | 975 | #204 | 0.80 |
| 1924 | 1,058 | #198 | 0.85 |
| 1923 | 1,222 | #179 | 1.0 |
| 1922 | 1,323 | #169 | 1.1 |
| 1921 | 1,567 | #154 | 1.3 |
| 1920 | 1,552 | #151 | 1.3 |
| 1919 | 1,488 | #149 | 1.3 |
| 1918 | 1,618 | #143 | 1.4 |
| 1917 | 1,566 | #138 | 1.4 |
| 1916 | 1,616 | #132 | 1.5 |
| 1915 | 1,654 | #123 | 1.7 |
| 1914 | 1,200 | #127 | 1.6 |
| 1913 | 994 | #129 | 1.6 |
| 1912 | 874 | #131 | 1.6 |
| 1911 | 699 | #121 | 1.7 |
| 1910 | 646 | #125 | 1.6 |
| 1909 | 645 | #112 | 1.9 |
| 1908 | 648 | #111 | 1.9 |
| 1907 | 568 | #118 | 1.8 |
| 1906 | 561 | #111 | 1.9 |
| 1905 | 598 | #107 | 2.1 |
| 1904 | 573 | #106 | 2.1 |
| 1903 | 597 | #97 | 2.3 |
| 1902 | 593 | #99 | 2.2 |
| 1901 | 539 | #98 | 2.3 |
| 1900 | 705 | #95 | 2.4 |
| 1899 | 565 | #98 | 2.4 |
| 1898 | 644 | #93 | 2.5 |
| 1897 | 583 | #92 | 2.5 |
| 1896 | 583 | #90 | 2.5 |
| 1895 | 577 | #91 | 2.5 |
| 1894 | 589 | #88 | 2.6 |
| 1893 | 589 | #82 | 2.8 |
| 1892 | 583 | #83 | 2.7 |
| 1891 | 509 | #85 | 2.7 |
| 1890 | 491 | #89 | 2.6 |
| 1889 | 464 | #88 | 2.6 |
| 1888 | 465 | #87 | 2.6 |
| 1887 | 394 | #85 | 2.7 |
| 1886 | 404 | #84 | 2.8 |
| 1885 | 349 | #86 | 2.6 |
| 1884 | 360 | #84 | 2.8 |
| 1883 | 294 | #91 | 2.6 |
| 1882 | 291 | #88 | 2.7 |
| 1881 | 211 | #100 | 2.3 |
| 1880 | 224 | #95 | 2.5 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Olive a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Olive has been given almost only to girls: 394 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Olive: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Olive, and how old are they?
24,900 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 37% of the 67,320 Americans ever recorded as Olive. The median Olive alive today is 8 years old; half are between 4 and 14.
The 2020 Census counted 19,050 people named Olive (18,832 women and girls, 218 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 17,123 born in the U.S. The Census count is 11% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out, and it records the name people give, which SSA may have recorded under another spelling or as part of a compound name.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,270 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 905 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 216 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 162 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 3,760 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 18,500 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Olive born?
The states with the most babies named Olive are California, Texas and Florida, with 23% of its births recorded by state in 2025.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 183 | #177 | 1.0× |
| Texas | 110 | #310 | 0.5× |
| Florida | 75 | #254 | 0.6× |
| Illinois | 68 | #146 | 0.8× |
| Michigan | 65 | #129 | 1.1× |
| New York | 64 | #264 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 63 | #179 | 1.1× |
| North Carolina | 58 | #184 | 0.5× |
| Pennsylvania | 55 | #208 | 1.2× |
| Utah | 54 | #72 | 1.7× |
Where Olive is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Olive is most over-represented in Maine: since 1910 it was given 1.9 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Olive with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 638,872 babies since 1880, Olive is the second most given (11% of them). In 2025 it was given to 1,604 of their 15,192 babies (11%), again the second most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Olive
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Olive and names like it
- Compare Olive and OliviaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sOlive peaked in 2022.
- Pennsylvania’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Olive since 1910.
- English namesWiktionary’s origin for Olive: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 2022The year the most babies were named Olive.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Olive alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with OMost given first.