Total births
269,903
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.
- #3
- among boys today
- 269,903
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other boys
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.
- #3 among boys today
- 269,903 born since 1880
- 2010s peak decade
- 99.9% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Oliver is currently the #3 boys' name in America, more common than 99.9% of boys - 269,903 born since 1880, peaking in the 2010s.
- #3
- among boys today
- 269,903
- born since 1880
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other boys
Oliver vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#3
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 99.9% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Oliver was born in this single decade.
2024
Single peak year
15,396 babies were named Oliver in 2024 - its busiest year on record.
How Oliver compares
269,903 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 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 735x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Oliver | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 269,903 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 15,396 | 23 | 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 at a glance
Top 10 boys' namePeak year
2024
Current rank
#3
Active since
1880
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
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
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 vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
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% |
California share of Oliver's total US births 10.4%
Even split
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? ▼
269,903 babies have been named Oliver since 1880. It currently ranks #3 among boys. The peak year was 2024 with 15,396 births.
When was Oliver most popular? ▼
Oliver was most popular in the 2010s decade with 98,160 total births. The single peak year was 2024.
Where is Oliver most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Oliver are California (28,143 births), Texas (20,245 births), New York (13,777 births).
How long has the name Oliver been used? ▼
Oliver has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Oliver? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Olin, Olivier, Olivia, Olie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
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
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare 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
Olin Boy
#2136 9,929 births
Olivier Boy
#2689 1,989 births
Olivia Boy
#5702 791 births
Olie Boy
577 births
Olive Boy
394 births
Compare Oliver side by side: Oliver vs Olin Oliver vs Olivier Oliver vs Olivia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Oliver
Data Sources
Data as of June 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).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Oliver: #3 Boys' Name - 269,903 Births, Peak 2024." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/oliver. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 June 2026.