Olivo
A surname built from the olive tree or its fruit, likely used for someone connected with olive groves or the color of olives.
The #3,412 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 29,452 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Olivo is the Spanish word for the olive tree, ultimately from Latin oliva, meaning both the olive and the olive tree. As a surname, it most likely began as a name for someone who lived near olive trees, worked with them, or was associated with an olive grove. In some cases it may also have been influenced by place-names or by the wider family of olive-related words in Romance languages.
History
The provided source excerpts mainly show the word family around olivo/oliva rather than a dedicated surname entry, but they confirm the basic botanical meaning. Surnames of this type are common in Spanish-speaking areas and could arise independently in different places. The name is found in the modern United States, especially among families of Hispanic background.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Latin root behind Olivo also gave English words like 'olive' and many related terms across European languages.
From the historical record
“Aceiton. Aceite gordo i turbio. Enfermedad de los olivos Aceituno. (Olivo). Se aplica al buei que es de color de aceituna. Acero. Hierro combinado i endurecido, propio para ins- trumentos i armas. El arma blanca.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos