Show ContentsViera History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Viera can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Venice. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most common type of family name found in the region of Venice is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Viera came from the given name Olivero, which is further derived from the Latin words olivarius and olivo, which mean olive.

Early Origins of the Viera family

The surname Viera was first found in Bolgna (Latin: Bononia), the largest city and the capital of Emilia-Romagna Region. From the Viera lineage in this city came many prominent individuals, such as an Oliviero, documented as Cardinal of S.R. Chiesa in 1436.

Early History of the Viera family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Viera research. The years 1500, 1544, 1675, 1686 and 1819 are included under the topic Early Viera History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Viera Spelling Variations

Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each of which has its distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the most standard Italian surname suffix is "I", whereas in Southern Italy the most typical surname suffix is "O". Sardinian is very different from other forms of Italian and in fact, it is considered to be its own distinct language. Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes, church officials, and the bearers of names, spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. As a consequence of the major changes in the Italian language and in the local spellings of Italian surnames that occurred over the course of history, there are numerous variations for the surname Viera. These spelling variations include Olivieri, Oliviero, Olivier, Oliveri, Olivero, Oliverio, Oliver, Ulivieri, Livieri, Liviero, Liverani, Vieri, Viero, Vier, Vierin and many more.

Early Notables of the Viera family

Prominent among members of the family was Alessandro Oliverio, (1500-1544), born in Bergamo, a famous painter and follower of Palma Vecchio. Pietro Oliveri was President of the Court in Palermo in 1675; Michele Oliveri was the first Duke of Aquaviva, and held the position in 1686; the Oliveri family from Messina was officially...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Viera Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Viera Ranking

In the United States, the name Viera is the 3,922nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [1]


United States Viera migration to the United States +

The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Viera:

Viera Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joaquin Viera, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 [2]
  • Antonio Viera, who arrived in Veragua in 1835 [2]
  • Diego Viera, who arrived in Nombre de Dios, Panama in 1835 [2]
  • Manuel Viera, who landed in Veragua in 1835 [2]

West Indies Viera migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [3]
Viera Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
  • Beatriz Viera, who landed in Dominican Republic in 1836 [2]

Contemporary Notables of the name Viera (post 1700) +

  • Milton Viera Rivero (b. 1946), former Uruguayan footballer
  • Gessler Viera Abreu (b. 1985), Cuban gold medalist Taekwondo athlete at the 2007 World Championships
  • Ousmane Viera Diarrassouba (b. 1986), Ivorian footballer
  • Mario Sebastián Viera Galaín (b. 1983), Uruguayan professional footballer
  • Helvecia Viera (1928-2009), Chilean actress and comedian
  • Feliciano Alberto Viera Borges (1872-1927), Uruguayan politician, President of Uruguay (1915-1919)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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