Show ContentsOliva History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Oliva, like many Spanish family names, is a proud sign of a rich and ancient ancestry. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Spain were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Spanish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century and were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins.

Early Origins of the Oliva family

The surname Oliva was first found in Aragon, an important Christian kingdom of medieval Spain. Today, Olivares is a city in the province of Seville having a population of 8,729 inhabitants as of 2005.

Early History of the Oliva family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Oliva research. Another 199 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1137, 1148, 1170, 1229, 1235, 1238, 1282 and 1469 are included under the topic Early Oliva History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Oliva Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Oliva, de Oliva, Olivas, Olivo, Olivos, Oliver, de Oliver, Olivé, Olive, Olivera, Oliveras, Olivero, Oliveros, de Oliveros, Olivérez, Oliverez, Olives, Olivar, Olivares and many more.

Early Notables of the Oliva family

Notable bearers of the family name Oliva

  • eighteenth century Chilean historian Miguel de Olivares

Oliva Ranking

In the United States, the name Oliva is the 3,081st most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Oliva is ranked the 3,843rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2


United States Oliva migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Oliva Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
  • Pedro de Oliva, who sailed to America in 1513
  • Cristóbal de Oliva, who sailed to Florida in 1538
  • Cristobal De Oliva who arrived in Florida in 1538
  • Francisco de al Oliva who immigrated to Costa Rica in 1588
  • María de Oliva, who sailed to Peru in 1593
Oliva Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Pedro De Oliva, who landed in America in 1813 3
  • Angelo Oliva, who arrived in New Orleans in 1823
  • Joaquin Oliva, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1825 3
  • Jose Oliva Romeu who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1825
  • Jose Oliva, aged 23, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1825 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Oliva Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Richard Oliva, who arrived in Arkansas in 1904 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Oliva (post 1700) +

  • Lawrence Jay Oliva (1933-2014), American academic, the 14th President of New York University (1991-2002)
  • José Oliva (1971-1997), former American professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues
  • John Nicholas Oliva (b. 1960), American musician, founder and lead vocalist for Savatage
  • Pavel Oliva (1923-2021), born Pavel Ehrenstein, a Czech classical philologist, historian of antiquity, and writer
  • Mariana Oliva (b. 1976), retired professional female tennis player from Argentina
  • Francisco Javier Oliva (b. 1962), Gibraltarian journalist
  • Patrizio Oliva (b. 1959), Italian former boxer
  • Carlos Oliva, Honduran football player that currently plays for Marathon
  • Roberto Wenceslao Bonomi Oliva (1919-1992), Argentine, Formula One race car driver
  • Tony Oliva, professional baseball coach


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)


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