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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Oliver m. Of uncertain origin. It may be a derivative of Latin oliva 'olive, olive tree', a form of Alvaro (cf. also Aylward), or related to Old Icelandic Olaf.

Belgium
Latin
c1130 Olivir (nom) CartStBert 12; 1212x1213 Oliverus (nom) OvdFB 2
Dutch
1597x1598 Olivier BoonenGes p. 361, Oliviers (gen) ibid. p. 375
England
Latin
1185x1186 Oliueri (gen) PR-XXXVI p. 17, Oliuerus (nom) ibid. p. 17; 1340xc1450 Oliuerus (nom) CovGuild-1 p. 53; 1379 Olyuerus (nom) WRYPT1 p. 7; 1540 Oliverus (nom) SA12 p. 5; 1554 Oliverus (nom) StMartF p. 58; 1567 Oliverus (nom) Chst-1 p. 11
Dutch
1575 Olivier AuFr Alart; 1577 Olivier ibid. Alaert; 1580 Olivier ibid. Clijnen; 1582 Olivijer ibid. Cleijnen; 1588 Olivier ibid. Clienen
Middle English
1418 Oliuer EEW p. 44
Early Modern English
1530 Oliuer LIWill-III p. 34; 1541 Oliver StNick-Sf p. 1; 1543 Oliver BarnstapleBap p. 3; 1545 Oliver WillsInv XCII; 1547 Oliver BarnstapleBap p. 6, Olyver ibid. p. 5; 1554 Oliver ibid. p. 8, HAmar-vol9 p. 2; 1555 Olyver BarnstapleBap p. 9; 1557 Oliver ibid. p. 10; 1558 Oliver bruton-vol1 p. 109; 1559/60 Oliver HAmar-vol9 p. 2; 1560 Oliver BarnstapleBap p. 10, Olyver ibid. p. 10; 1562 Olyver ibid. p. 12; 1563 Oliver ibid. p. 12, HAmar-vol9 p. 2, Olyver BarnstapleBap p. 12; 1567 Oliver BUmar-vol9 p. 4; 1576 Olyver COmar-vol5 p. 127; 1579 Oliver WAmar-1 p. 131; 1582 Oliver BUmar-vol2 p. 63; 1583 Oliver DEmar-vol2 p. 9; 1588 Olyver HAmar-vol9 p. 92; 1589 Oliuer OrpingtonKe p. 8; 1592 Oliver BEmar-vol1 p. 15; 1594 Oliver COmar-vol2 p. 50; 1595 Oliver DEmar-vol2 p. 33, HAmar-vol9 p. 3
France
Latin
1147 Oliveri (gen) CartNDdOurscamp XCVII; 1173 Oliveri (gen) clairvaux-12thc 153, Oliverii (gen) ibid. 153, Oliverus (nom) ibid. 153; 1179 Oliveri (gen) ibid. 178, Oliverus (nom) ibid. 178; 1180 Olivero (abl) RotScaNor p. 4, Oliverus (nom) ibid. p. 23; 1258 Oliverius (nom) ArrestReg-volI XIV, pluribus, Oliverus (nom) ibid. XXXIV, pluribus; 1267 Oliverus (nom) NDParisII 2-XXVII; 1378 Oliveri (gen) hanquetvol1 1381, Oliverio (dat) ibid. 528, Oliverius (nom) ibid. 1327, Olivero (dat) ibid. 579, Olivier (nom) ibid. 1405, Oliviers (nom) ibid. 1390
Old French
1313 Olivier Paris1313 p. 70; 1327 Olivier MemDocMan-2 p. 176, Ollivier ibid. p. 180
Middle French
1386 Olivier MemBret-II col. 513; 1392 Olivier ibid. col. 598, Ollivier ibid. col. 618; 1393 Olivier ibid. col. 620; 1404 Ollivier HistHdVParis no. 4; 1418 Olivier DdB1418 p. 202, Oliviez ibid. p. 209; 1421 Olivier favier 48; 1423 Olivier ibid. 41; 1562 Olivier RegPCC-1 p. 17; 1563 Olivier ibid. p. 24; 1564 Olivier ibid. p. 56, Ollivier ibid. p. 59; 1565 Olivier ibid. p. 131; 1566 Olivier ibid. p. 201; 1567 Olivier ibid. p. 280; 1568 Olivier ibid. p. 367; 1572 Olivier ibid. p. 510; 1588 Olivier raymond1588 p. 570
Germany
Latin
1212 Oliuero (abl) quix-vol2 125
Hungary
Latin
1351 Oliuerio (abl) CDH-IX-II III, Olyuerio (abl) ibid. I, Olyuery (gen) ibid. I
Ireland
Latin
fin12thC Oliueri (gen) MunDocIr III, p. 21, Oliuerus (nom) ibid. III, p. 12
Early Modern English
1540 Oliver Fiants-1 133
Italy
Latin
1164 Oliverii (gen) Livi p. 41, Oliverius (nom) ibid. p. 41; 1285 Oliverii (gen) Perugia1285 p. 156; 1326 Oliverio (abl) Friuli-14thC no. 438; 1376 Olliverio (abl) DouGen1 p. 64; 1478 Oliverii (gen) RCCaetani6 2720, Oliverio (abl) ibid. 2720; 1522x1532 Oliverius (nom) DSF p. 52, 27; 1527 Oliverius (nom) Rome1527 p. 85
Latvia
Latin
1287 Olifer (nom) RigSB 501
Spain
Latin
1487 Olivarii (gen) carbonell-I p. 11; 1491 Oliver (nom) ibid. p. 55
Catalan
1510 Holiver valencia1510 2049
Switzerland
Latin
14thCx1478 Oliverius (nom) Ob-SPVn (85)
Cite as: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Oliver". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2018, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2018/1/name/Oliver.