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 Norse Olaf.

Belgium
Latin
c1130 Olivir (nom) CartStBert 12; 1190 Olivero (abl) ibid. 26; 1212x1213 Oliverus (nom) OvdFB 2; 1355 Olivero (dat) AM6 p. 8
Middle Dutch
1336 Oliviere (dat) RSG1336-39 p. 49; 1387 Olivier (nom) MPSA p. 21; 1388 Olivier (nom) ibid. p. 21; 1391 Olivier (nom) ibid. p. 22; 1394 Olivier (nom) ibid. p. 22; 1396 Olivier (nom) ibid. p. 22; 1397 Olivier (nom) ibid. p. 23; 1398 Olivier (nom) ibid. p. 23; 1400 Olivier (nom) ibid. p. 23; 1402 Olivier (nom) ibid. p. 24; 1410 Olivier (nom) AM6 p. 21; 1414 Olivier (dat) ibid. p. 24; 1489 Olivier (nom) MPSA p. 54; 1499 Olivier (nom) ibid. p. 57
Dutch
1502 Olivier MPSA p. 58; 1547 Olivier ibid. p. 66; 1548 Olivier ibid. p. 66; 1549 Olivier ibid. p. 67; 1550 Olivier ibid. p. 67; 1552 Olivier ibid. p. 68; 1570 Olivier ibid. p. 77; 1597x1598 Olivier BoonenGes p. 361, Oliviers (gen) ibid. p. 375
England
Latin
1185x1186 Oliueri (gen) PR-XXXVI p. 17, Oliuerus (nom) ibid. p. 17; 1279–80 Oliverus (nom) WaHR-SK p. 84; 1337 Olivero (abl) MHCG2 459; 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; 1569 Oliverus (nom) RegSoAMar p. 5; 1578 Oliverius (nom) AuFr Schrey-water; 1590 Oliverus (nom) RegBeb p. 141
Dutch
1573 Olivier AuFr p. 88; 1575 Olivier ibid. Alart; 1577 Olivier ibid. Alaert; 1580 Olivier ibid. Clijnen; 1582 Olivijer ibid. Cleijnen; 1584 Olivier ibid. Kleijn; 1588 Olivier ibid. Clienen; 1593 Olivier ibid. Kleeman
Middle English
1418 Oliuer EEW p. 44
Early Modern English
1481 Oliver HHB1481-90 p. 6; 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 bruton1 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; 1569 Olyver SurMus p. 145; 1572/3 Olyuer ibid. p. 168, Olyver ibid. p. 162; 1574 Oliver ibid. p. 176; 1576 Oliver RegBath p. 3, Olyver COmar-vol5 p. 127; 1577 Oliver RegBath p. 3; 1579 Oliver WAmar-1 p. 131; 1580 Oliver RegBath p. 4; 1582 Oliver BUmar-vol2 p. 63; 1583/4 Oliuer SurMus p. 29; 1583 Oliver DEmar-vol2 p. 9, RegPat p. 105; 1583/4 Oliver SurMus p. 17; 1584 Oliver ibid. p. 194; 1586 Oliver RegPat p. 36; 1588 Oliver ibid. p. 108, Olyver HAmar-vol9 p. 92; 1589 Oliuer OrpingtonKe p. 8; 1591 Oliver RegPat p. 4; 1592 Oliver BEmar-vol1 p. 15; 1594 Oliver COmar-vol2 p. 50; 1595 Oliver DEmar-vol2 p. 33, HAmar-vol9 p. 3
Middle French
1581 Olliuier WCS p. 16; 1588 Olivier ibid. p. 22
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; 1274 Olivarius (nom) RHF-VIII p. 58; 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
1367/8 Olivier ActsCharlesV no. 428; 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; 1265x1339 Uliverii (gen) BBC-Berg 1488; 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; 1485 Oliverius (nom) MHCG2 246; 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: A. Brown, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Oliver". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Oliver.