All Irish surnames have a long, ancient Gaelic history behind them. The original Gaelic form of the name Silifen is Ó Suileabhain, which is partially derived from the word "suil," which means "eye." The surname probably means either one-eyed or hawk-eyed.
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Early Origins of the Silifen family
The surname Silifen was first found in County Kerry (Irish:Ciarraí) part of the former County Desmond (14th-17th centuries), located in Southwestern Ireland, in Munster province, where they held a family seat from ancient times at the Castle of Ardea, where their name was Sullivan.
Early History of the Silifen family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Silifen research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1641 and 1921 are included under the topic Early Silifen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Silifen Spelling Variations
Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name Silifen include Sylliphant, Silliphant, Syliphant, Siliphant and others.
Early Notables of the Silifen family
More information is included under the topic Early Silifen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Silifen family
Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Silifen: D. Siliphant landed in America in 1840.
