First found in Hertfordshire, where the family was anciently seated as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066; the language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. However, the Anglo-Saxon surname Silverwood survived and the family was first referenced in the 13th century, when it held estates in that shire. The earliest known bearer of the name was John Siluer, who was listed in the Book of Seals for Lincolnshire in 1205.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Thomas Silver, who settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1637; Mary Silver, who came to Virginia in 1643; Archibald Silver, a Scottish Quaker who settled in West New Jersey in 1680.

For more information on the last name Silverwood, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.