Silva History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Portugal 
  Spain 


Early Origins of the Silva family

The surname Silva was first found in the town of Silva in the Portuguese province of Valenca do Minho. The name of the town is derived from the Portuguese word 'silva,' which means 'forest,' and indicating that the area was once heavily forested.

Early History of the Silva family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Silva research. Another 36 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1647, 1673, 1691, 1694, 1714, 1717, 1720, 1721, 1730, 1731, 1733, 1756, 1774, 1778, 1799 and 1835 are included under the topic Early Silva History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Silva Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Da Silva, De Silva, Silva, Silveira and others.

Early Notables of the Silva family

Prominent members of the family include

Silva World Ranking

In the United States, the name Silva is the 254th most popular surname with an estimated 104,454 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Silva is ranked the 631st most popular surname with an estimated 8,212 people with that name. 2 And in France, the name Silva is the 1,171st popular surname with an estimated 4,719 people with that name. 3 South America ranks Silva as 31st with 108 people. 4


Silva migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Silva Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
Silva Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Silva Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Silva migration to Australia +

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

Silva Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Silva migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Silva Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Silva migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7
Silva Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
Silva Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Silva (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Silva +
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