2000
#214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126,164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 46.77
Common Last name
Silva
A surname of Latin origin meaning "forest" or "woodland," originally used to describe someone living near a wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 186,600 Americans carry the last name Silva. That puts it at #157 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 54.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,837 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Silva surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Silva with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
187K
1 in 1,837
Census rank
#157
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
54.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
163K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 162,724 bearers of the surname Silva in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 54.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 157th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Silva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Black (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Silva
The surname Silva is of Spanish and Portuguese origin, deriving from the Latin word "silva" meaning "forest" or "woodland." It emerged as a surname in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, primarily in areas with dense forestry or wooded regions.
The earliest recorded instances of the Silva surname can be traced back to the 12th century in Spain and Portugal. In Spain, it was particularly prevalent in the regions of Galicia, Asturias, and Cantabria, which were known for their dense forests and woodlands. In Portugal, the surname was widespread throughout the country, reflecting the nation's rich forestry heritage.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Silva surname was Sancho Núñez de Silva, a nobleman who lived in the 12th century and was a prominent figure in the Kingdom of León, Spain. Another notable historical figure was Rui Gomes da Silva, a 14th-century Portuguese knight and military leader who played a crucial role in the Portuguese Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
In the 15th century, the Silva surname gained prominence with the rise of the influential Portuguese noble family, the House of Silva. This family produced several notable figures, including João da Silva, 3rd Count of Portalegre (1451-1526), a Portuguese diplomat and military commander, and Diogo da Silva e Mendonça (1455-1521), a Portuguese nobleman and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.
Another prominent bearer of the Silva surname was Feliciano de Silva, a 16th-century Spanish writer and playwright, known for his chivalric novel "Amadís de Grecia" (1530), which was a continuation of the popular "Amadís de Gaula" series.
In the 17th century, the surname gained international recognition with the exploits of Luís da Silva Telo, 1st Count of Aveiras (1613-1666), a Portuguese nobleman and military leader who served as Viceroy of India and Governor of Brazil.
As the centuries passed, the Silva surname spread across the globe, carried by Spanish and Portuguese explorers, colonizers, and immigrants. Today, it remains a prominent surname in many Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, as well as in regions with significant Hispanic and Lusophone populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Silva
Among Census respondents with the surname Silva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Black (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Silva bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Silva surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino60.6% · 98,550
- White31.9% · 51,889
- Black or African American2.5% · 4,097
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 4,023
- Two or more races2.2% · 3,573
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 592
Timeline
Historical Census data for Silva
Silva appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 161,633
+35,469 bearers (+28.1%)
Per 100,000 54.79
Rank movement Up 51 places
2020
#157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162,724
+1,091 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 54.44
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #214 | 126,164 | 46.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #163 | 161,633 | 54.79 | +35,469 bearers (+28.1%) | Up 51 places |
| 2020 | #157 | 162,724 | 54.44 | +1,091 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 6 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Silva surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #163 | #157 | 3.7% |
| Count | 161,633 | 162,724 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 54.79 | 54.44 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Silva bearers went from 161,633 to 162,724 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #163 to #157.
FAQ
Silva surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Silva?
Name Census estimates that about 186,600 living Americans carry the surname Silva. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,837 residents.
How common is Silva?
Silva ranks #157 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 54.44 per 100,000 residents, which is about 54 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 162,724 people with the surname Silva. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (186,600), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 54.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 54.44 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 54 of them to have the surname Silva.
Has Silva become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Silva went from 161,633 recorded bearers to 162,724. That is an increase of 1,091 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #163 to #157.
What does the Census say about the background of Silva?
Among Census respondents with the surname Silva, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 60.6%. The next largest groups are White (31.9%) and Black (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Silva in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.6% (98,550 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Silva appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (60.6%), White (31.9%), Black (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Silva (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Silva mean?
A surname of Latin origin meaning "forest" or "woodland," originally used to describe someone living near a wood. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Silva (54.44 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Silva?
You can see how common the surname Silva is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.