Columbus Zoo turned to the public to name their adorable baby elephant — and 11,000 people chose the third most popular boy name in the US for him
After the birth of an Asian elephant, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium took to social media to let online users choose the official moniker for their new calf. A whopping 11,000 suggestions came the way of the zoo, from which on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, the authorities announced the most common "American" name they picked from their Facebook page. The baby elephant was initially nicknamed "Nugget" and "Junior" before it got its official name.
When the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium welcomed the birth of an offspring Asian elephant calf, the authorities immediately took to social media to announce a voting poll to select a name for the calf. As per NBC4 News, the poll surprisingly brought more than 20,000 votes as the zoo invited the public to help name the calf and 11,000 of them were in favor of one popular boy name. After a long search through the suggestions, the zoo authorities announced that they had chosen a name. Sharing the exciting update on Facebook, they revealed the baby elephant’s official name was chosen from the top four options. The caption under the post read, "He has a name! Walking away with almost 40% of the 20,000+ votes we received, a name has been chosen by you for our newest elephant calf… Meet Oliver!"
According to Babycenter, the third most popular name for a boy in the US is "Oliver." The names that were shortlisted by the team were Fredrick, Oliver or Ollie, Ozzy, and Theodore or Theo. "As we welcome Oliver (aka Ollie) into our growing elephant family, alongside his sister born in July, Rita Jean, we're also kicking off our holiday giving campaign, Wild Wishes!" The fundraiser aims to help provide care and resources for the elephant. "Your gift helps ensure every elephant at the Zoo continues to thrive —and that elephants in their native range have a future, too," the post read.
Oliver’s sister was named in tribute to Rita Jean Wolfe and her family’s long-standing connection to the zoo. The Wolfe family played a huge role in establishing the zoo in the 1920s, hence the name was to honor the family. Oliver's birth is a special event, as it marks the first time two elephants were born in the same year. While Rita was born to mother Sunny, Oliver was born to Asian elephant Phoebe. The zoo authorities confirmed that the new calf, Ollie, is "thriving and continuing to hit all of his early developmental milestones."
According to the zookeepers, mother Phoebe has been keeping a loving eye on him, and he's figuring out the new world and his herd. The baby elephant has also been exploring the outdoors and popping out for a few little appearances for visitors.