Oliver is a given name, also a surname, believe to derive from the Old French given name Olivier (though this may be a false etymology);"Alf" and "Ihar", meaning "Elf Army", or, as a Latin origin, the bearer of the olive branch; a corruption of a Germanic personal name, cognate with the Scandinavian name "Olaf" or "Ólafur," which carries the meaning of "ancestor," "forbear," or "talisman."