Origins of the Oliver surname

What does the name Oliver mean?

The Oliver surname is English, and is thought to have Anglo-Norman roots, arriving with the conquest of William I in 1066. Records have been found with the surname Oliver dating back to the 1100s. It has patronymic roots, and refers to the son or descendant of someone named Oliver or Olivier.

Alternative variations of the name Oliver

Oliver, Olliver, Olivar, Olivere, Aliver

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Delve deeper into the Oliver family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 2667North West 522Isle of Man 19Yorkshire 1765East Midlands 405West Midlands 840East 1374London 4024South East 1805South West 774South Wales 382Mid Wales 191West Wales 19North Wales 79Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Olivers lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

38,000 Oliver Travel & migration records
220,000 Olivers found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Oliver

How common is your surname?

163rd most common surname in the UK

We have for the Oliver surname. The oldest one dates back to .

Who were Olivers most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Olivers.

What are the most common Oliver first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Oliver family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Olivers

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Olivers in 1921

Dressmaker

1,002

Domestic Servant

642

Laundress

544

General Servant Domestic

500

House Servant

431

Common male occupations for Olivers in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

968

Coal Miner

899

Farmer

737

General Labourer

701

Farm Labourer

546

We found over 250,000 family trees with the Oliver surname

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