English
Olive
Olive comes from Spanish Oliva.
- Spanishc. 1500–presentOliva
- Englishearliest quotation 1842Olive
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Spanishc. 1500–presentOliva
- Englishearliest quotation 1842Olive
Earliest quotation: 1842, Alfred Tennyson: “And hear me swear a solemn oath, / That…”
The story
Medieval form of the Latin saint's name Oliva "olive"; revived in the 19th century when flower and plant names became fashionable. The surname is topographical, often representing an Anglicization of continental European surnames such as Spanish Oliva.
Linked words
through Latin olīva ‘an olive (fruit)’
Today it means
name A female given name from English.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Spanish Oliva / Olive