Boys' name · since 1880
Oliver
269,903 babies named Oliver in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2024. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #139 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 269,903
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Oliver is the #3 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 269,903 recorded since 1880.
Oliver has 269,903 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3 as of the latest data, more common than 99.9% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #139 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 269,903 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Oliver ranks #139 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 269,903 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #139 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 269,903
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
Oliver's 269,903 recorded births place it above 99.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Oliver compares
269,903 Top 1% higher than 99% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Oliver's all-time total is 731x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Oliver | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 269,903 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 15,396 | 34 | 22,252 |
Oliver's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Oliver's full recorded timeline at 1953, 85% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 15% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1899, with just 161 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2024 peak of 15,396 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Oliver popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2024)
- 15,396
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Oliver popularity over time - girls
777 total births recorded since 1905 (Oliver as girls' name)
Oliver by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (98,160 births, 36% of the file).
2010s was Oliver's strongest decade.
98,160 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Oliver births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 2,287
1880s
2,287 births
- 1890s 2,035
1890s
2,035 births
- 1900s 2,088
1900s
2,088 births
- 1910s 8,657
1910s
8,657 births
- 1920s 10,900
1920s
10,900 births
- 1930s 6,709
1930s
6,709 births
- 1940s 6,057
1940s
6,057 births
- 1950s 4,987
1950s
4,987 births
- 1960s 3,340
1960s
3,340 births
- 1970s 3,732
1970s
3,732 births
- 1980s 4,153
1980s
4,153 births
- 1990s 6,570
1990s
6,570 births
- 2000s 20,935
2000s
20,935 births
- 2010s
2010s
98,160 births
- 2020s
2020s
89,293 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 98,160 births (36% of all-time use).
How Oliver compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Oliver's total volume
Oliver by state
Where Oliver concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 28,143 | 10.4% |
| #2 | Texas | | 20,245 | 7.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 13,777 | 5.1% |
| #4 | Florida | | 11,735 | 4.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 10,784 | 4.0% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 10,101 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 9,114 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 8,124 | 3.0% |
28,143 of 269,903 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Oliver appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Oliver? ▼
Where does Oliver sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Oliver most popular? ▼
Where is Oliver most popular? ▼
How long has the name Oliver been used? ▼
What names are similar to Oliver? ▼
What to do with Oliver's data
- Oliver's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (98,160 total births) through the 2020s (89,293) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Olivers (28,143 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Oliver
Nearby Names Like Oliver
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Oliver
Compare Oliver side by side: Oliver vs Olin Oliver vs Olivier Oliver vs Olivia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Oliver
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Oliver: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2024)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Oliver draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.