Olivia
Say it: oh-LIV-ee-uh
GirlMeans olive6 letters4 syllables
#8
in Ireland (2025)
233
babies in 2025
#4
best rank (1975)
8,441
babies since 1964
Up 6
10-year rank change
Olivia through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 233 | #8 |
| 2024 | 246 | #7 |
| 2023 | 205 | #16 |
| 2022 | 262 | #9 |
| 2021 | 222 | #18 |
| 2020 | 248 | #12 |
| 2019 | 263 | #14 |
| 2018 | 273 | #14 |
| 2017 | 294 | #11 |
| 2016 | 303 | #13 |
| 2015 | 297 | #14 |
| 2014 | 287 | #20 |
| 2013 | 222 | #27 |
| 2012 | 230 | #30 |
| 2011 | 252 | #28 |
| 2010 | 271 | #27 |
| 2009 | 197 | #39 |
| 2008 | 190 | #41 |
| 2007 | 172 | #42 |
| 2006 | 120 | #55 |
| 2005 | 99 | #58 |
| 2004 | 83 | #69 |
| 2003 | 70 | #72 |
| 2002 | 74 | #71 |
| 2001 | 84 | #61 |
| 2000 | 88 | #51 |
| 1999 | 112 | #41 |
| 1998 | 43 | #83 |
| 1997 | 48 | #107 |
| 1996 | 50 | #107 |
| 1995 | 52 | #103 |
| 1994 | 56 | #104 |
| 1993 | 42 | #125 |
| 1992 | 73 | #88 |
| 1991 | 74 | #91 |
| 1990 | 40 | #131 |
| 1989 | 37 | #138 |
| 1988 | 42 | #132 |
| 1987 | 57 | #112 |
| 1986 | 56 | #111 |
| 1985 | 50 | #128 |
| 1984 | 57 | #120 |
| 1983 | 55 | #126 |
| 1982 | 98 | #84 |
| 1981 | 92 | #90 |
| 1980 | 102 | #89 |
| 1979 | 125 | #73 |
| 1978 | 154 | #60 |
| 1977 | 175 | #52 |
| 1976 | 329 | #24 |
| 1975 | 618 | #4 |
| 1974 | 130 | #73 |
| 1973 | 94 | #88 |
| 1972 | 61 | #123 |
| 1971 | 48 | #139 |
| 1970 | 40 | #146 |
| 1969 | 28 | #175 |
| 1968 | 25 | #176 |
| 1967 | 25 | #162 |
| 1966 | 32 | #147 |
| 1965 | 16 | #194 |
| 1964 | 20 | #171 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Olivia mean?
Olive
Latin, from oliva (olive), made popular by Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Say it right
ohLIVeeuh
The story of Olivia
Olivia comes from the Latin oliva, meaning an olive or an olive branch. Oliva was the name of an early saint, and both Oliva and Olivia were in use in England by the 1200s, alongside the plainer Olive. Shakespeare did not invent the name, but his Countess Olivia in Twelfth Night made it far better known.
Olivia was already given in Ireland in 1964. The CSO figures show a sudden jump in 1975, when 618 girls were named Olivia and it ranked number 4, before it fell back within a few years. It rose again from the late 1990s and was in the top ten in 2022, 2024 and 2025. The CSO counts Olívia, with a fada, separately; nine girls got that spelling in 2025.
In Northern Ireland it reached second place in 2024.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Olivia (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Olivia (name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
LivLivvy
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Olivia | 224 | 8,419 |
| Olívia | 9 | 22 |
In Northern Ireland
#3 in 2025 with 101 babies. Best rank #2 (2024); 3,494 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.