Olivia (given name)
Encyclopedia
Olivia, , is a popular feminine given name
in the English language
. It is a Latinate name derived, first coined by William Shakespeare
for a character in the Twelfth Night. It is possible that Shakespeare may have intended this name as a feminine form of Oliver
; another possibility is that he may have derived it from a the Latin
oliva, which translates into English as "olive
". Olivia has been a popular name throughout the English-speaking world since the mid 1990s.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. It is a Latinate name derived, first coined by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
for a character in the Twelfth Night. It is possible that Shakespeare may have intended this name as a feminine form of Oliver
Oliver (given name)
The masculine given name Oliver is of Germanic origin. The name was first used by one of Charlemagne's retainers—Olivier. The name is said to have been derived from the Late Latin olivarius, meaning "olive tree"; however, the names of Charlemagne's other retainers were of Germanic origin,...
; another possibility is that he may have derived it from a the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
oliva, which translates into English as "olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
". Olivia has been a popular name throughout the English-speaking world since the mid 1990s.
People
- Olivia (singer)Olivia (singer)Olivia Theresa Longott , professionally known as Olivia, is an American R&B singer and rapper.-Early life:Raised in New York City, Longott is of Puerto Rican, and Indian descent....
(born 1981), American singer, born Olivia Longott - Olivia De BerardinisOlivia De Berardinis"Olivia De Berardinis" is an American artist known for paintings of women, often referred to as pinup or cheesecake art. She has been working in this genre since the mid-70's...
(born 1948), American painter - Olivia BonillaOlivia BonillaOlivia Brooks Bonilla is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. In 2009, she released her EP-Album Arrival featuring original songs "Can't Say Goodbye", "Stumble", and "Don't Say You're Sorry". Soon after that, she released "As If You Never Existed", a song inspired by New Moon, the...
(born 1992), American singer-songwriter and actress - Olivia Mariamne DevenishOlivia Mariamne DevenishOlivia Mariamne Devenish , was the spouse of Thomas Stamford Raffles, vice governor of Java in 1811-1816. A memorial monument was erected to her memory in the botanical garden of Buitenzorg ....
(1771–1814), British socialite - Olivia ChowOlivia ChowOlivia Chow is a Canadian New Democratic Party Member of Parliament and former city councillor in Toronto. She won the Trinity—Spadina riding for the New Democratic Party on January 23, 2006, becoming a member of the Canadian House of Commons. Most recently, she was re-elected in her riding for...
(born 1957), Canadian politician - Olivia ColmanOlivia ColmanOlivia Colman is an English actress, best known for her supporting roles in various comedy shows, such as Sophie Chapman in Peep Show and Harriet Schulenburg in Green Wing. She trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and has appeared in radio, television and theatre.-Personal life:Colman...
(born 1974), British actress - Olivia GoldsmithOlivia GoldsmithOlivia Goldsmith was an American author, best known for her first novel The First Wives Club , which was adapted into the movie The First Wives Club .-Biography:...
(1949–2004), American writer - Olivia Harrison (born 1948), widow of musician George Harrison
- Olivia de HavillandOlivia de HavillandOlivia Mary de Havilland is a British American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1946 and 1949. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine. The sisters are among the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s.-Early life:Olivia de Havilland...
(born 1916), American actress - Olivia HusseyOlivia HusseyOlivia Hussey is an Argentinian actress who became famous for her role as Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's Academy Award-winning 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet. For this role she won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actress as well as the David di Donatello for best actress...
(born 1951), British actress - Olivia JudsonOlivia JudsonDoctor Olivia P. Judson is an evolutionary biologist and science writer.- Career :Judson, who is the daughter of science historian Horace Freeland Judson,was a pupil of W.D. Hamilton....
(born 1970), British biologist - Olivia Lufkin (born 1979), Japanese singer
- Olivia ManningOlivia ManningOlivia Mary Manning CBE was a British novelist, poet, writer and reviewer. Her fiction and non-fiction, frequently detailing journeys and personal odysseys, were principally set in England, Ireland, Europe and the Middle East. She often wrote from her personal experience, though her books also...
(1908–1980), British writer - Olivia MunnOlivia MunnLisa Olivia Munn is an American comedic actress, model, television personality and author. She began her career being credited as Lisa Munn. Since 2006, she has been using the name Olivia Munn personally and professionally....
(born 1980), American actress - Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
(born 1948), Australian singer and actress - Olivia NordgrenOlivia NordgrenOlivia Lovisa Nordgren, , Swedish typographer and Politician of the Social Democrats. She was an important part in the work against powerty in the 1930s in Sweden and one of the most known woman politicians in Sweden of that time....
(1880–1969), Swedish politician - Olivia O'LearyOlivia O'LearyOlivia O'Leary is an Irish journalist, writer and current affairs presenter.Educated at St Leo's College, Carlow and at University College Dublin, she worked with the Nationalist and Leinster Times in Carlow...
(born 1949), Irish journalist - Olivia OlsonOlivia OlsonOlivia Olson is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is known for her role of Joanna, singing "All I Want For Christmas Is You" in Love Actually , and for her voice-roles as Vanessa Doofenshmirtz in Phineas and Ferb and as Marceline the Vampire Queen in Adventure Time with Finn and...
(born 1992), American actress and singer - Olivia OngOlivia OngOlivia Ong is a Singaporean singer. She sings mostly in English but developed her career singing in English and Japanese. In addition, she has released rare tracks, recorded in Mandarin, and Cantonese which can be found on limited edition albums.-Biography:...
(born 1985), Singaporean singer - Olivia RuizOlivia RuizOlivia Blanc known as Olivia Ruiz is a female French pop singer of partial Spanish origin belonging to the nouvelle chanson genre.-Biography:...
(born 1980), French singer - Olivia TennetOlivia TennetOlivia Tennet is a New Zealand actress and dancer. She has been active as an actress since 1999 and is mostly known for her role as Tuesday Warner on the New Zealand medical drama Shortland Street.-Career:...
(born 1991), New Zealand actress - Olivia Thirlby (born 1986), American actress
- Olivia Ward BushOlivia Ward BushOlivia Ward Bush Banks was an American author, poet and journalist of African American and Montaukett Native American descent. Ward celebrated both of her heritages in her poetry and writing...
(1869–1944), American writer - Olivia WildeOlivia WildeOlivia Wilde is an American actress and fashion model. She began acting in the early 2000s, and has since appeared in a number of film and television parts, including roles in the serial-drama The O.C. and The Black Donnellys. She portrayed Dr...
(born 1984), American actress - Olivia WilliamsOlivia WilliamsOlivia Haigh Williams is an English film, stage and television actress who has appeared in British and American films and television series.-Early life:Williams was born in Camden Town, London, England...
(born 1968), English actress
Fiction
- Olivia (Buffyverse), minor character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Olivia (fictional pig), protagonist of several children's books by Ian Falconer
- Olivia (Twelfth Night), character in Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night
- Olivia Benford, character on FlashForward, played by Sonya Walger
- Olivia BensonOlivia BensonDet. Olivia "Liv" Benson is a fictional character on the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. She is the former partner of Elliot Stabler. In Season 13, her partner will be Nick Amaro...
, character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Mariska Hargitay - Olivia BlakeOlivia BlakeOlivia Richards is a fictional character from the US NBC soap opera Sunset Beach, played by Lesley-Anne Down.-Character development:...
, character from the American soap opera Sunset Beach - Olivia Burke, character in the television series "Gossip Girl"
- Olivia DunhamOlivia DunhamFBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series Fringe . Olivia first appeared in the pilot episode on September 9, 2008. She is portrayed by actress Anna Torv....
, character in the television series Fringe - Olivia FalconeriOlivia FalconeriOlivia Falconeri is a fictional character on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital. She has been portrayed by Lisa Lo Cicero since September 19, 2008...
, character from the long-running American soap opera General Hospital - Olivia Fuller, character from Family Guy
- Olivia Harper, nurse in the American comedy-drama Grey's Anatomy
- Olivia Kidney, main character in Olivia Kidney (book series by Ellen Potter)
- Olivia Robinson, character played by Alaina Reed on the long-running children's series Sesame Street
- Olivia SpencerOlivia SpencerOlivia Spencer is a fictional character on the popular CBS daytime soap opera, Guiding Light. The character was introduced to audiences in the summer of 1999 as the fiancée of the late Prince Richard Winslow. Crystal Chappell originated the role...
, character from the long-running American soap opera Guiding Light - Olivia Walton, matriarch of the Walton clan on the TV series The Waltons
- Olivia Barber Winters, a character on the American soap opera The Young and the RestlessThe Young and the RestlessThe Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...
- Olivia Castle, a flirtatious character in Final Destination 5.
- Olivia Walter from the children's novel series Main Street by Ann M. Martin