OLIVERA Family History

Recorded in many spelling forms including Oliva, Olivares, Olives, Oliveras, Olivera, Oliveres, and the locational D'Olivera and De Olivera, this is a southern European surname, and most strongly associated with Spain and the Iberian Peninsula. Like the surnames Oliver and Olivier it has two possible origins. The first is a development of the ancient Roman (Latin) 'oliva', which was originally a metonymic for a maker or merchant of olive oil. The second possible origin is Germanic, as the Germans through the Vizigoth tribe ruled Spain for several centuries until expelled in about the year 800 a.d.