Silber History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Scotland

The English surname Silber is of several distinct origins. Firstly, it is derived from the Old English "silfor," meaning "silversmith"; in this instance, the progenitor of the name would have been someone who practiced this profession. 1

Alternatively, the name may be derived from the Old English "seolfre," meaning "silvery stream," and would in this case refer to someone who lived by such a stream. 2

Early Origins of the Silber family

The surname Silber was first found in Lincolnshire where the Book of Seals recorded Lucas Siluer in 1205 during the reign of King John, of England (1199-1216.) Later in Yorkshire, the Subsidy Rolls recorded John Siluer in 1301. Robert Silverhewer was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Yorkshire in 1212 and William Sylverour was a Freeman Of York in 1417. Thomas atte Selure (1327) and Thomas del Silvere (1332) were both recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire. 3

Up north in Scotland, "John Syllar was tenant of the garden of the Hospital of Dundee, 1464. James Silvir, "succentor Glasguensi," appears as witness in 1497, and may be James Siluer, rector of Durisdere, 1504. William Silver de Stobo was a charter witness, 1506, and another William Siluer or Silwer was a cleric in Aberdeen, 1540, and chaplain of Folaroull, 1546. The name Silver on a tomb in the Calton cemetery, Edinburgh, near the Stevenson 'lair' probably suggested to Robert Louis Stevenson the surname of his 'Long John Silver' in Treasure Island." 4

Early History of the Silber family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Silber research. Another 139 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1464, 1504, 1560, 1599, 1620 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Silber History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Silber Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Silver, Silvar, Silber, Silvers, Silvars, Silvia, Sylvia and many more.

Early Notables of the Silber family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Batholemew Silver, who was seated in Hertfordshire about 1350; Alexander Silver, a wealthy East India trader from Aberdeenshire, Scotland in the 1700s; and George Silver (c.1560s-1620s), an English gentleman...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Silber Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Silber Ranking

In the United States, the name Silber is the 14,479^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Silber migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Silber Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Silber, who settled in Philadelphia in 1749
Geo Silber, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 6

Silber Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Tobias Silber, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1805 6
Betty Silber, who landed in America in 1847 6
Daniel Silber, who settled in Philadelphia in 1868

Contemporary Notables of the name Silber (post 1700) +

Joan Silber (b. 1926), American academic and politician
Irwin Silber (b. 1925), American writer and editor
John Robert Silber (b. 1926), American professor of philosophy and university administrator

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)