Show ContentsSilvia History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Silvia family

The surname Silvia 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 Silvia family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Silvia 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 Silvia History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Silvia Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Silvia family

Prominent members of the family include Pedro da Silva (c.1647-1717), born in Lisbon and settling in New France prior to 1673, he was the first post courier in New France; a Canadian postage stamp honoring him was released in June 2003; and António Diniz da Cruz e Silva (1731-1799), Portuguese heroic-comic poet, born in Brazil.Manuel Pereira da Silva (1694-1733) was a priest and friar of the Order of Christ, master of arts, doctor of canons and professor of the same faculty at the University of Coimbra, etc. He was born in Lisbon on April 6, 1691, where he also died prematurely...
Another 403 words (29 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Silvia Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Silvia Ranking

In the United States, the name Silvia is the 4,001st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


United States Silvia migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Silvia Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Selna Silvia, who landed in California in 1876 2
  • Giovanni Silvia, aged 45, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
  • Jenobia Silvia, aged 36, who landed in America from Bodalato, in 1893
  • Palliola Silvia, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1894
  • Leone Silvia, aged 17, who landed in America, in 1896
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Silvia Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Katherine Silvia, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
  • Enrique Silvia, aged 38, who settled in America from Caracas, Venezuela, in 1916
  • Rafael Silvia, aged 35, who landed in America, in 1919
  • William R. Silvia, who immigrated to the United States, in 1919
  • J. Silvia, aged 19, who settled in America, in 1920
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Silvia (post 1700) +

  • Stephen Silvia, American Associate Professor and the Director of Doctoral Studies at American University, Washington
  • Rick Rockefeller- Silvia (b. 1984), American equestrian athlete, and equine breeder
  • Silvia Tortora (1962-2022), Italian journalist, daughter of journalist and TV presenter Enzo Tortora
  • Silvia Cavalleri (b. 1972), Italian professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour and Ladies European Tour
  • Silvia Cruz, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Connecticut, 2004 3
  • Silvia Droste (b. 1960), German jazz singer
  • Silvia Helena Araujo Pinheiro (b. 1981), Brazilian two-time gold medalist handballer
  • Silvia Siefert (b. 1953), East German silver medalist handball player at the 1976 Summer Olympics
  • Silvia Dusch, German director
  • Silvia Monfort (1923-1991), French actress and theatre director


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook