Olmos
A Spanish surname meaning “elm trees,” originally referring to a place marked by elms or a settlement near them.
The #3,596 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,202 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Olmos is the Spanish plural of olmo, “elm tree,” ultimately from Latin ulmus. As a surname, it most likely began as a habitational name for someone from a place named for its elm trees, or from a locality called Olmos. The plural form fits the common Spanish pattern of surnames taken from place names or landscape features.
History
The surname is well attested in Spain and in Spanish-speaking regions, and it likely arose independently in more than one locality named Olmos. Historical Spanish onomastic works connect it directly with the tree name and with place-names built from it. In the Americas, it spread through Spanish colonization and later migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root appears in many Spanish place names: Olmos, Olmeda, and Olmedo all point to an area once known for elm trees.
From the historical record
“DE LOS APELLIDOS 105 Olmeda, Sitio donde hai plantados muchos olmos, Olmedilla. Diminutivo del anterior. 0O!'medillo. Diminutivo masculina del anterior. Olmedo. Olmeda.”
— Diccionario de los apellidosNotable people named Olmos
- Edward James Olmos (b. 1947)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.