Olivia - Name Meaning and Origin

The girl's name Olivia \o-li-via\ is pronounced oh-LIV-ee-ah. It is of Latin origin, and its meaning is "olive tree". Coined by Shakespeare as the name of a much-wooed aristocrat in his play "Twelfth Night" (1599). He may have derived the name from the olive plant, or as a feminine form of Oliver. Biblical: the olive tree is a symbol of fruitfulness, beauty, and dignity. Today, "extending an olive branch" traditionally signifies an offer of peace. Today, Olive is associated with Popeye's scrawny girlfriend, Olive Oyl. See also Olida. Singer Olivia Newton-John.

Olivia has 19 variant forms: Liv, Liva, Livia, Livvie, Livvy, Olia, Oliff, Oliffe, Oliva, Olive, Oliveea, Olivet, Olivetta, Olivette, Olivija, Olivine, Olivya, Ollie and Olva.

Baby names that sound like Olivia are Elvia, Elva, Alva, Alvie, Elvie and Ulva.

Olivia is a very popular female first name and a common surname (source: 1990 U.S. Census). Displayed below is the baby name popularity trend for the girl's name Olivia. Click here to compare Olivia with related baby names.