| Oliver | Lucas | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Olive tree | Light-bringing; from Lucania |
| Origin | Latin | Latin |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | OL-iv-er | LOO-kus |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1881 |
| Peak year | 2024 (15,396) | 2017 (13,032) |
| In 2025 | 14,939 | 10,219 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Oliver | Lucas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 89,293 | 65,795 |
| 2010s | 98,160 | 118,661 |
| 2000s | 20,935 | 70,995 |
| 1990s | 6,570 | 38,178 |
| 1980s | 4,153 | 26,088 |
| 1970s | 3,732 | 8,817 |
| 1960s | 3,340 | 857 |
| 1950s | 4,987 | 339 |
| 1940s | 6,057 | 256 |
| 1930s | 6,709 | 254 |
| 1920s | 10,900 | 403 |
| 1910s | 8,657 | 286 |
| 1900s | 2,088 | 55 |
| 1890s | 2,035 | 67 |
| 1880s | 2,287 | 41 |
Oliver is usually traced to the Latin oliva, “olive tree” — a long-standing symbol of peace — though some scholars link it to the Norse Áleifr (an ancestor of Olaf).
Lucas is the Latin form of Luke, from Loukas — most often understood as “from Lucania” in southern Italy, and popularly associated with the Latin lux, “light.”
Oliver is more popular than Lucas today: about 14,939 US babies were given the name Oliver in 2025, compared with 10,219 named Lucas.
Oliver means Olive tree (Latin origin), while Lucas means Light-bringing; from Lucania (Latin origin).
In US records, Oliver first appears in 1880 and Lucas in 1881, so Oliver has the longer recorded history.