Silveira History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Spain

The Portuguese surname Silveira has two possible origins: first, it may be a local surname. In this case it derives from the word "selva", which means "forest, jungle", and its founder would have been someone who lived near, or in, the forests. Secondly, this surname may be of patronymic origin. Patronymic surnames are those that derive from the given name of the father of the founder of the lineage. In this case, it derives from the Latin given name "Silvius". This name has endured throughout Christianity, due to its bearer, Saint Silvius, Bishop of Toulouse in the beginning of the fifth century.

Early Origins of the Silveira family

The surname Silveira was first found in Silveira, Portugal where Goncalo Vasques da Silveira, contemporary of D. Fernando I, a very honored nobleman, lord of the estate and defense of Silveira, on the edge of the village of Redondo, in the years 1378, as the oldest known person with the surname, who he would have become that landlord, and progenitor of the family. 1

He is was married to Alda Rodrigues de Aguiar, daughter of Rodrigo Afonso de Aguiar, dos Aguiares de Evora. They had Maria Goncalves da Silveira who married to Martim Gil Pestana, chief ensign of the city of Evora, son of Gil Vaz Pestana, who had the same office, and his wife, D. Alda Vicente, with a generation that followed the surname Silveira. 1

Early History of the Silveira family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Silveira research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1423, 1489, 1526, 1561, 1613, 1632, 1656, 1671, 1672 and 1673 are included under the topic Early Silveira History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Silveira Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Silveira and others.

Early Notables of the Silveira family

Prominent members of the family include

Gonçalo da Silveira, S.J. (1526-1561) was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary in southern Africa, born at Almeirim, Portugal. Dr. Fernando Afonso da Silveira, the son of D. Afonso Martins, was the nineteen...
Fernão da Silveira (died September 8, 1489), was the son of João Fernandes da Silveira. He was one of the palace poets most appreciated for the grace of his satires, which appear in the Cancioneiro de...
It was only months later that Fernão da Silveira was able to escape to Spain, thanks to the help of a merchant from Seville. The king, furious to learn that the criminal had been very well received at...
D. frei Cristóvão da Silveira (1613-1673), was born in Angra do Heroísmo. He professed at the convent of Graça, in Lisbon, in 1632, and was rector of the college of Coimbra in 1656. D. Pedro II, while...

Silveira Ranking

In the United States, the name Silveira is the 5,570^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Silveira migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Silveira Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

M. Silveira, aged 28, Spanish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Empire City" in 1858 3
Jose Silveira, aged 14, Portuguese settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Atlantic" in 1859 3
E. C. Silveira, aged 22, Portuguese settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Karnak" in 1861 3
Franco S. Silveira, aged 42, Cuban settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Niagara" in 1877 3
S. Silveira, aged 31, settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Benquilla" in 1890 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Silveira migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Silveira Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Lefferino Silveira, settler from London who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Mooltan" in 1924 4
Louis P. Silveira, settler from London who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Mooltan" in 1924 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Silveira (post 1700) +

Larry Silveira (b. 1965), American golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.
Milton Antone Silveira (1929-2013), American aerospace engineer, NASA's Chief Engineer (1983 to 1986), involved in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flights, and contributed to the investigation into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
Luis Miguel Silveira, Portuguese engineer
Leonor Silveira (b. 1970), Portuguese actress
Julio Silveira (b. 1953), Uruguayan politician
Juliana Silveira (b. 1980), Brazilian actress and singer
Hugo Silveira, Uruguayan footballer who plays for Tigre
Francisco Silveira (1763-1821), Count of Amarante, Portuguese army lieutenant general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars
Fabio Trinidade da Silveira (b. 1977), Brazilian footballer commonly known as Fabinho
Caue Fernandes Silveira (b. 1988), Brazilian footballer
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Tores, João Romano. Portugal - Historical, Chorographic, Heraldic, Biographical, Bibliographic, Numismatic and Artistic Dictionary. Lisboa, 1904-1915. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
National Archives of Australia retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/PassengerListing.aspx