Selva History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Spain

From the historical and enchanting region of Spain emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Selva family. The original bearer of the name Selva, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful region of Spain. In Spain, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Selva family originally lived in one of the numerous places named Silva, which are scattered throughout the provinces of Leon, Coruna, Lugo and Oviedo. The surname Selva was derived from the Latin word "silva," which meant "wood."

Early Origins of the Selva family

The surname Selva was first found in Leon and Galicia, important Christian kingdoms of mediaeval Spain.

Early History of the Selva family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Selva research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1796 is included under the topic Early Selva History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selva Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Silva, Silvera and others.

Early Notables of the Selva family

Prominent among bearers of the Selva family name at this time was fourteenth century nobleman Ferrand de Silva; Pedro de Silva, a fifteenth century soldier of the Reconquest; Feliciano de Silva, sixteenth century Spanish novelist; sixteenth century Spanish politician, diplomat and writer Juan de Silva; seventeenth century Spanish politician and diplomat García de Silva y Figueroa; Diego de Silva y Mendoza, Count of Salinas, seventeenth century Spanish poet...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Selva Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Selva Ranking

In France, the name Selva is the 6,120^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1

Selva migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Selva Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jose Selva, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 2

Selva 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:

Selva Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. David Selva, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Kenilworth" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 2nd May 1857 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Selva (post 1700) +

Steve Selva (b. 1948), American biologist, Professor Emeritus of Biology and Environmental Studies at the University of Maine
Gustavo Selva (b. 1926), Italian politician, journalist and writer
Antonio Selva (1824-1889), Italian operatic bass
Andrtea "Andy" Selva (b. 1976), San Marino football player
Selva Casal (1927-2020), Uruguayan poet
Selva Lewis "Lew" Burdette (1927-1980), American Major League Baseball player, MVP of the 1957 World Series
Selva E. McGinty, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Marine Corps, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html