The Rising Dominance of the Olivers

Over in the England and Wales the baby name Oliver is on the march. In 2000 it was the 14th most popular boy name; in 2001 it rose to 12th, in 2002 it was 10th, in 2003 it was 6th and in 2004 it was 7th (okay, that’s a slight dip, perhaps a small backlash).

That makes Oliver, in 2004, behind only Jack, Joshua, Thomas, James, Daniel, and Samuel in popularity.

Meanwhile, over in the U.S.A. Oliver is also on the rise, albeit with a higher mountain to climb: 305th most popular in 2000, rising to 243rd in 2003.

Here in Canada, a nation of regions, there doesn’t appear to be a central source for countrywide popularity information. However in British Columbia, Oliver was 54th in 2003, 31st in 2002, 36th in 2001 and 28th in 2000, which reflects a weakening Oliver trend on the west coast.

Obviously Canada is not leading the world in this regard. We’re happy to try and do our small part.

Comments

Mandy's picture
Mandy on January 6, 2005 - 06:34 Permalink

look at that list of names in England… I love those names…

Maybe it’s just me, but all these fancy new baby names, being born from the world of soap opera stars is too much. I love all the sweet names of years gone by.

three cheers to Oliver.

oliver's picture
oliver on January 6, 2005 - 13:43 Permalink

Troubling, troubling.