Meaning: Its source is Olivier, a French name meaning "Olive tree."

Nickname For: Oliver

Popularity: The name Ollie ranked 670th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

Narrative: The prototype of this name was one of Charlemagne's knights, celebrated in the 12th-century poem Chanson de Roland.

The French source suggests the name ultimately evolved from the Latin term olivarius. However, the companions-in-arms of the original French knight in the Chanson all sported names of clearly Germanic derivation. Keeping that in mind, other possible sources include the Old German name Alfihar (host of elves) and the Old Norse name Olafr (ancestor).

Meaning: Its source is oliva, a Latin name meaning "Olive."

Nickname For: Olivia

Popularity: The name Ollie ranked 497th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name has fluctuated in use, it has been quietly present throughout the last century.

Narrative: This was introduced by Shakespeare as the name of a much-wooed aristocrat in his play Twelfth Night (1599). The derivation given assumes that his source was the olive plant, but he might have conceived the name as a female form of Oliver.