Meaning of the Name Oliver: Olive Tree
The voice of Jesus from our film series.
Where the name comes from
Oliver is the Norman French form of a Germanic name, later reshaped in French by the Latin oliva, "olive tree". The medieval romance Song of Roland gave Oliver a hero to carry the name, and the association with the olive has stuck.
Oliver in the Bible
No Oliver in the Bible, but the olive tree is one of Scripture's most persistent images: the Mount of Olives where Jesus prayed the night before he was crucified, the olive branch a dove brought to Noah after the flood (Genesis 8), the two olive trees of Zechariah 4 that give oil to the lamps of the temple.
A blessing for Oliver
Oliver, may your life be like the olive tree God plants: rooted, patient, useful to the people whose lamps need oil. May you learn to grow slowly.