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

Olvera, 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 Olvera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Olvera in America

Olvera is the 1275th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Olvera surname appeared 27,551 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Olvera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Olvera 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 Olvera

The surname Olvera is of Spanish origin, dating back to the medieval period in regions of Spain such as Castile and Andalusia. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish words "olivo" meaning olive tree, and "era" meaning a threshing floor or place where crops were processed. This suggests the name may have originated from a place where olive trees were abundant or an area known for olive processing.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Olvera can be found in the Catastro de Ensenada, a census-like document from Spain in the mid-18th century. This record mentions individuals with the surname Olvera residing in various towns and villages across Spain.

In the 16th century, during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the surname Olvera likely made its way to the New World. There are records of individuals with the Olvera surname in colonial Mexico, where the name may have been associated with olive cultivation or olive oil production.

Notable historical figures with the surname Olvera include Gaspar de Olvera, a Spanish conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s. Another prominent individual was Pedro de Olvera, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the exploration and settlement of Florida in the late 16th century.

In the 19th century, José María Olvera y Navarrete (1798-1868) was a Mexican lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the Mexican Congress and participated in the reform movements of his time.

Manuel de Olvera y Palma (1807-1891) was a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the governor of the state of San Luis Potosí in the mid-19th century.

María de Jesús Olvera y Orozco (1855-1936), also known as María la Güera Olvera, was a Mexican revolutionary and soldier who fought alongside Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century.

These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the surname Olvera, which has its roots in the Spanish language and the olive cultivation and processing traditions of Spain and its colonies.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Olvera

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

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 Olvera 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 Olvera 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 Olvera was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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