From the green mineral olivine, derived from Latin 'oliva' meaning 'olive tree.'
Olivine takes its name from the mineral, a magnesium iron silicate that forms one of the most abundant compounds in Earth's upper mantle and gives many volcanic landscapes their characteristic greenish hue. The mineral was named for its olive-green color, connecting it to the ancient olive tree — sacred to Athena in Greek mythology, symbol of peace and victory throughout the Mediterranean world, and the source of the names Olive and Olivia. Olivine the name thus carries a double root: the gemstone's geological grandeur and the olive tree's classical symbolism, wound together in four syllables.
As a given name, Olivine belongs to the tradition of mineral and gemstone names — Ruby, Pearl, Jade, Opal, Beryl — that flourished in the Victorian and Edwardian eras when natural history was a fashionable enthusiasm and the naming of daughters after beautiful things found in nature felt both poetic and instructive. Beryl, Opal, and Coral were widely used in this period; Olivine was rarer, occupying the more unusual edge of the mineral-name category. It carries that specific late-Victorian aesthetic: scientific enough to be modern, pretty enough to be feminine, specific enough to be distinguished from the crowd.
In contemporary use, Olivine sits at an intriguing intersection. Olivia is perennially one of the most popular names in the English-speaking world; Olive has enjoyed a significant revival among parents seeking something warmer and more vintage. Olivine offers a path between them — longer and more unusual than Olive, more grounded and less ubiquitous than Olivia, with the added geological texture that makes it quietly extraordinary. A child named Olivine carries a name as old as the Earth's mantle and as fresh as a new volcanic shore.