Olivares
A Spanish surname meaning “olive groves” or “places with olive trees.”
The #1,490 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,874 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Olivares is a Spanish surname built on the word oliva, “olive,” ultimately from Latin oliva. The ending -ares points to a place characterized by olives, so the name likely began as a habitational or descriptive surname for someone from an area planted with olive trees. In Spanish, olivar means “olive grove,” and olivares is the plural form, “olive groves.”
History
The surname is well established in Spanish-speaking regions and fits a broad family of toponymic surnames drawn from plants, trees, and cultivated landscapes. The 19th-century sources supplied here list Olivares among Spanish surname forms associated with natural features and place-based naming, alongside names like Olmedo and Nogueras. It is common today in Spain and throughout Latin America, including the United States through Hispanic migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because olive trees are such a strong Mediterranean symbol, surnames like Olivares often carry a very old agricultural landscape in their background.