Oliver

Oliver is a male-given name in the languages English, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian.

History
Oliver is of Common Latin origin and means "olive tree", derived from "aleifr". It also could come from Old Norse "olafr" meaning "ancestor", or Old German "alfihar", meaning "host of elves".

The name "Oliver" had its first-recorded history in the 12th century when it was used in the poem Chanson de Roland, starting the phrase "Roland for one's Oliver". William Shakespeare used the name Oliver for an antagonist in As You Like It. Charles Dickens used the name for his titular protagonist in Oliver Twist.

Known bearers

 * Oliver Hardy: actor
 * Oliver Martext: fictional character of As You Like It
 * Oliver Platt: actor
 * Oliver Reed: actor
 * Oliver Stone: film director
 * Oliver Twist: titular fictional protagonist of Oliver Twist
 * Oliver Warbucks: fictional character of Annie franchise
 * Oliver Wood: fictional character of Harry Potter

Cognate names

 * Olaf
 * Olavi
 * Olev
 * Oliva (feminine form)
 * Olive (feminine form)
 * Olivera (feminine form)
 * Olivette (feminine form)
 * Olivia (feminine form)
 * Olivier
 * Oliverio
 * Olivor
 * Olliver
 * Ollivor

Diminutives

 * Lif
 * Liff
 * Liffie
 * Liffy
 * Liv
 * Livvie
 * Livvy
 * Ol
 * Ollie
 * Olly
 * Ver