Find out how popular the last name Olmeda is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Olmeda.

Olmeda, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Olmeda surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Olmeda in America

Olmeda is the 13271st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Olmeda surname appeared 2,298 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Olmeda.

We can also compare 2010 data for Olmeda to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Olmeda

The surname Olmeda has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "olmo," which means "elm tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near an elm tree or a place where elm trees grew abundantly.

According to historical records, the earliest known bearer of the Olmeda surname was Pedro de Olmeda, who lived in the town of Olmeda de las Fuentes in the province of Madrid during the late 11th century. This town's name, which means "elm tree of the fountains," lends credence to the theory that the surname originated from a place name associated with elm trees.

In the 13th century, the Olmeda name appeared in several medieval manuscripts, including the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile in 1342. This document mentioned individuals with the Olmeda surname, indicating their involvement in royal hunting parties during that era.

One notable figure bearing the Olmeda name was Fray Juan de Olmeda, a Spanish Catholic friar and missionary who lived from 1465 to 1521. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493 and was one of the first Spanish Catholic missionaries to set foot in the New World.

Another prominent individual was Pedro de Olmeda y Andrade, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who was born in 1498 and died in 1575. He participated in the conquest of Guatemala and later became one of the first Spanish settlers in the region, establishing a settlement near the present-day city of Antigua.

In the 16th century, the Olmeda surname was also found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition. One notable case involved Catalina de Olmeda, who was accused of harboring Jewish conversos (converted Jews) in her home in Seville in 1562. This incident shed light on the persecution of religious minorities during that turbulent period in Spanish history.

As the centuries passed, the Olmeda name spread across different regions of Spain, with families bearing this surname establishing roots in various parts of the country. Some variations in the spelling, such as Olmedo and Olmedilla, also emerged over time, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Olmeda

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Olmeda.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Olmeda was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Olmeda has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Olmeda was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Olmeda, please contact us.

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