Show ContentsSilveira History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and enchanting region of Spain emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Silveira family. The original bearer of the name Silveira, 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 Silveira 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 Silveira was derived from the Latin word "silva," which meant "wood."

Early Origins of the Silveira family

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

Early History of the Silveira family

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

Silveira Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Silveira family

Prominent among bearers of the Silveira 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 Silveira Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Silveira Ranking

In the United States, the name Silveira is the 5,570th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


Silveira migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Silveira Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • M. Silveira, aged 28, Spanish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Empire City" in 1858 2
  • Jose Silveira, aged 14, Portuguese settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Atlantic" in 1859 2
  • E. C. Silveira, aged 22, Portuguese settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Karnak" in 1861 2
  • Franco S. Silveira, aged 42, Cuban settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Niagara" in 1877 2
  • S. Silveira, aged 31, settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Benquilla" in 1890 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Silveira migration to Australia +

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

Silveira Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century
  • Lefferino Silveira, settler from London who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Mooltan" in 1924 3
  • Louis P. Silveira, settler from London who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Mooltan" in 1924 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Silveira (post 1700) +

  • Larry Silveira (b. 1965), American golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.
  • Milton Antone Silveira (1929-2013), American aerospace engineer, NASA's Chief Engineer (1983 to 1986), involved in Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flights, and contributed to the investigation into the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster
  • Julio Silveira (b. 1953), Uruguayan politician
  • Juliana Silveira (b. 1980), Brazilian actress and singer
  • Hugo Silveira, Uruguayan footballer who plays for Tigre
  • Francisco Silveira (1763-1821), Count of Amarante, Portuguese army lieutenant general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars
  • Fabio Trinidade da Silveira (b. 1977), Brazilian footballer commonly known as Fabinho
  • Caue Fernandes Silveira (b. 1988), Brazilian footballer
  • Amarildo Tavares da Silveira (b. 1939), retired Brazilian football striker
  • Alcides Silveira (1938-2011), Uruguayan international football player and coach of the Uruguay national football team
  • ... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  3. National Archives of Australia retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/PassengerListing.aspx


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