Silva Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Silva last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Silva last name
Meaning of the Silva last name: "woodland". Silva is a Portuguese surname from Latin silva, "wood, forest", for someone who lived by woodland, or from the Silva estate near Valença in the Minho. It is the most common last name in Portugal and Brazil, and the form Da Silva is widespread.
Arms associated with the Silva name
Coats of arms associated with the Silva surname follow Portuguese heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Silva family history
This is only a glimpse of the Silva story. The full Silva history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Silva coat of arms. Get the full Silva report.
Silva name FAQ
What does the Silva name mean?
"woodland". Common variants include Da Silva, Silveira.
Where does the Silva surname come from?
It originates in Portugal, and is also found in Brazil, Angola and the United States.
Is there a Silva coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Silva coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: José Pedro Machado, Dicionário Onomástico Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa (Lisboa, 1984); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).