Oliva Family History
Oliva Name Meaning
Catalan Spanish and Portuguese: habitational name from Oliva in Valencia Santa Oliva in Girona or possibly from any of the places in Extremadura named La Oliva from Latin oliva ‘olive’. Italian (mainly southern Italy and Liguria): from Latin oliva ‘olive’ applied as a topographic name for someone who lived by an olive tree or grove or a metonymic occupational name for a gatherer or seller of olives or an extractor or seller of olive oil or perhaps in some cases a nickname for someone with a sallow complexion. German: habitational name from Oliva (Polish Oliwa) now quarter of Gdańsk in Pomeranian Voivodeship Poland. French (southern France and Corsica): of Italian origin (see 2 above) or a dialect variant of Olive ‘olive’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022