2000
#12,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,265
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Silvestre
Derived from the Latin word "silvestris," meaning "of the forest," referring to someone who lived near or worked in a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,270 Americans carry the last name Silvestre. That puts it at #8,503 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Silvestre 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 Silvestre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,270
Census rank
#8,503
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,724 bearers of the surname Silvestre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8503rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Silvestre, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.7%) and White (13.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Silvestre
The surname Silvestre has its origins in Spain and Portugal, stemming from the Latin word "silvestris," meaning "of the woods" or "wild." This name likely emerged during the medieval period, referring to someone who lived in or near a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Silvestre surname can be found in the 13th-century Catalonian manuscript "Llibre de Repartiment de València," which documented the names of individuals who settled in the region after the Reconquista. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Silvestre" and "Selvestre."
In the 14th century, the Silvestre family held notable positions in the Kingdoms of Aragon and Valencia. Pedro Silvestre, born around 1320, was a prominent jurist and diplomat who served as an ambassador to the court of King Edward III of England.
During the 15th century, the Silvestre surname gained further recognition with the birth of Juan Silvestre, a renowned Valencian poet and scholar who lived from 1456 to 1521. His works, including the epic poem "El Canto de Turia," celebrated the beauty of the Valencian landscape and its people.
In the 16th century, the Silvestre name was associated with the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Diego Silvestre, born in 1520 in Seville, was a navigator and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico. He is credited with mapping several coastal regions of present-day Mexico and Central America.
The 17th century saw the rise of Gregorio Silvestre, a Spanish painter and engraver born in Madrid in 1620. His intricate engravings and religious paintings adorned numerous churches and monasteries throughout Spain, earning him recognition as a master of the Baroque style.
The Silvestre surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, and explorers, reflecting the diverse histories and cultures of Spain and Portugal. While the name has spread globally over the centuries, its origins remain deeply rooted in the Iberian Peninsula's rich linguistic and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Silvestre
Among Census respondents with the surname Silvestre, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.7%) and White (13.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Silvestre 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 Silvestre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.9% · 2,566
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.7% · 586
- White13.4% · 500
- Two or more races0.9% · 35
- Black or African American0.9% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Silvestre
Silvestre 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
#9,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,550
+1,285 bearers (+56.7%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 3,359 places
2020
#8,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,724
+174 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 687 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,549 | 2,265 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,190 | 3,550 | 1.20 | +1,285 bearers (+56.7%) | Up 3,359 places |
| 2020 | #8,503 | 3,724 | 1.25 | +174 bearers (+4.9%) | Up 687 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 Silvestre 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 | #9,190 | #8,503 | 7.5% |
| Count | 3,550 | 3,724 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.25 | 3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Silvestre bearers went from 3,550 to 3,724 (+4.9% change). The surname moved up 687 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,190 to #8,503.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Silvestre
FAQ
Silvestre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Silvestre?
Name Census estimates that about 4,270 living Americans carry the surname Silvestre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,270 residents.
How common is Silvestre?
Silvestre ranks #8,503 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,724 people with the surname Silvestre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,270), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Silvestre.
Has Silvestre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Silvestre went from 3,550 recorded bearers to 3,724. That is an increase of 174 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,190 to #8,503.
What does the Census say about the background of Silvestre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Silvestre, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.7%) and White (13.4%). 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 Silvestre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (2,566 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Silvestre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (15.7%), White (13.4%). 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 Silvestre (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 Silvestre mean?
Derived from the Latin word "silvestris," meaning "of the forest," referring to someone who lived near or worked in a forest. 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 Silvestre (1.25 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 are called Silvestre?
You can see how many people have the last name Silvestre on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.