Olivia, of Latin origin, signifies 'peace'. It was initially used as a male name in Latin literature, but its use for females became popular after Shakespeare's Twelfth Night featured Olivia as the heroine. In English-speaking countries, it has been among the top names since the 1990s.
The name Oliva had a consistent yet fluctuating popularity over time. It started with around 5 births per year from the late 1800s to early 1900s. The number of births peaked in 1916 with 29 and remained relatively high until the mid-1930s. After that, there was a noticeable decline, with fewer than 15 births per year from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. Since then, Oliva's popularity has risen steadily, with over 20 births per year since the mid-1980s and peaking at 34 births in several years between 1988 and 2000. Despite fluctuations, Oliva has maintained a presence as a girls' name throughout history, with a total of 1939 births recorded from 1884 to 2023.