OLIPHANT
Recorded variant spellings include O'Liphant
The surname Oliphant is principally associated with the British Isles, with its earliest records situated in Scotland and England. It is found among families of both English and Scottish heritage and is particularly linked with the Gaelic-speaking regions of Scotland.
Its earliest documented form is Olifard, dated to 1107 in a charter witnessed in Northamptonshire during the reign of King Henry I. The form evolved through spellings such as Oliphard (c. 1148), Olyfat (1296), Olifaunt (1317), Oliphand (1326), and eventually Oliphant. These variations reflect the gradually shifting linguistic landscape from Norman French to Middle English.
The name is generally believed to derive from the Old French word olif, meaning "olive-branch," combined with the suffix -ard, a common element used to form nicknames denoting character traits such as peace-loving or gentle. Over time, folk etymology redirected this origin toward the Middle English word olifant, meaning "elephant." The popular image of the elephant as a “huge earth-shaking beast” – a description used by homecoming Crusaders – reinforced this reinterpretation.
A notable early bearer was David de Olifard, who arrived in Scotland with King David I in the twelfth century. He was granted lands in Roxburghshire and served as a royal favourite, thereby establishing the Olifard family as a significant noble house in the Scottish Lowlands. His descendants were known as members of Clan Oliphant, a clan that played a prominent role in Scottish history, particularly during the defence of Stirling Castle and other strategic positions against invasion.
Heraldic records attribute to the Oliphants a red shield bearing three silver crescents, with a crest depicting the head of a unicorn couped argent. This coat of arms was officially granted to the family in the medieval period and remains a recognised symbol of the clan.
Over the centuries, a variety of spellings have been recorded. In addition to the early variations noted above, later forms such as Oliphaunt, Olliphaunt, Oliver, Olliver, Oliff, and Olifer appear in documents from both England and Scotland. French and Norman variants including Leuphane, Luphane, and Lefane also exist, reflecting the name’s broader European dissemination.
In contemporary usage, the surname is most common in Scotland, ranking as the 602nd–most frequent surname in the country. It can also be found in Canada, where it is prevalent in Ontario and British Columbia as a result of Scottish emigration, and in the United States, ranking the 5,133rd most common surname, predominantly in the Midwest. The variant O'Liphant occurs in the United States and is occasionally seen in South Africa, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.
The enduring presence of the Oliphant surname in the British Isles, its association with a historically significant clan, and its linguistic evolution from Norman French to Middle English attest to its deep roots in the cultural and genealogical tapestry of the United Kingdom.
Typical given names associated with the Oliphant surname
Male
- Andrew
- Brian
- Christopher
- David
- George
- James
- John
- Peter
- Robert
- Simon
- Stuart
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Ann
- Anne
- Elizabeth
- Jean
- Karen
- Lisa
- Louise
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Shirley
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Oliphant in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 1,611 people named Oliphant in the UK. That makes it roughly the 5,038th most common surname in Britain. Around 25 in a million people in Britain are named Oliphant.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Oliphant
- Mark Oliphant - Governor of South Australia (1901 to 2000)
- Margaret Oliphant - Writer (1828 to 1897)
- Evan Oliphant - Scottish racing cyclist
- Gideon Oliphant-Murray, 2nd Viscount Elibank - Scottish colonial administrator (1877 to 1951)
- Tom Oliphant -
- Monica Oliphant - -Australian academic and physicist
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.