Olivie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Olivie surname in Britain is derived from the Old French name "Olivier", a baptismal name originally derived as "son of Oliver." One of Charlemagne's paldins better know as one of the Twelve Peers made the name popular and thus gave it the knightly sound. The Breton variant "Olier" was very popular. 1

"Both as a baptismal name and a surname, was probably imported from France, where it was long associated with romantic literature. The Domesday of Devonshire presents us with a tenant called Oliver, in the modern orthography." 2

"The French Olivier, recorded in 1011, was at first southern and later became common through the influence of the Chanson de Roland. Dauzat takes it as symbolic, from olivier 'an olive branch', the emblem of peace. This can hardly be the origin of the name of the peer of Charlemagne which is probably Teutonic." 3

Early Origins of the Olivie family

The surname Olivie was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Oilverus was recorded (no county was provided in the entry.) 4 As a forename, Oliuerus de Vendouer was recorded in Lincolnshire (1149-1162.) 3

Later in Cornwall and the West country, Jordan Oliver, Olivier was on record in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1201, and in the Pipe Rolls for Cornwall in 1204. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Peter filius Oliver in Oxfordshire. 5

The barton of Treneere in the parish of Madern, Cornwall was sold alienated by the family of Oliver in the year 1768, to which family it had belonged a considerable time prior to that period. 6

Early History of the Olivie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Olivie research. Another 243 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1180, 1206, 1260, 1275, 1327, 1463, 1532, 1545, 1556, 1571, 1582, 1601, 1617, 1679, 1692, 1695, 1706 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Olivie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Olivie Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Oliver, Olivier, Ollivier, Olliver and others.

Early Notables of the Olivie family

More information is included under the topic Early Olivie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Olivie family to Ireland

Some of the Olivie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Olivie migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Olivie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nicholas Olivie, who landed in New York in 1796 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Olivie (post 1700) +

Jean-Baptiste Olivié, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
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)
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, June 16) Jean-Baptiste Olivié. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html