2000
#7,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,006
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Silvas
A variant of Silva, a surname of Latin origin meaning "forest" or "woodland."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,368 Americans carry the last name Silvas. That puts it at #6,921 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Silvas 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.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,851
Census rank
#6,921
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,681 bearers of the surname Silvas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6921st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Silvas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Silvas
The surname Silvas originated in Portugal and Spain, with its roots dating back to the Medieval era. It is derived from the Latin word "silva," meaning "forest" or "woodland." The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various historical records and documents from the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Silvas surname was Rui Gomes da Silva, a prominent Portuguese nobleman who lived in the 14th century. He served as a military commander and accompanied King Afonso IV during the Siege of Gibraltar in 1349. The da Silva family rose to prominence during this period and became one of the most influential noble houses in Portugal.
In Spain, the Silvas surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Galicia and Asturias, where it was often associated with families involved in forestry or living in forested areas. The surname is also found in various historical records from the Kingdom of Castile and other Spanish territories.
During the 15th century, the Silvas surname gained further recognition with the exploits of Nuno Fernandes da Silva, a Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498. Fernandes da Silva played a crucial role in establishing trade routes and settlements in the Indian Ocean region.
Another notable figure with the Silvas surname was Diego de Silva y Mendoza, a Spanish diplomat and writer who lived from 1564 to 1630. He served as the ambassador to Venice and is best known for his satirical novel "Lazarillo de Tormes," which is considered one of the earliest examples of the picaresque literary genre.
In the 18th century, José Joaquín de Silva y Sarmiento, a Spanish military officer and diplomat, made significant contributions to the field of architecture. He is renowned for his work on the Royal Palace of Aranjuez and other notable buildings in Spain.
The Silvas surname has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout the Iberian Peninsula, such as Silva Escura in Portugal and Silva de Abajo in Spain, further reinforcing its connection to forested areas and woodlands.
Throughout history, the Silvas surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including nobility, military leaders, explorers, writers, and architects, reflecting the rich heritage and cultural significance of this surname in Portugal and Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Silvas
Among Census respondents with the surname Silvas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Silvas 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 Silvas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino82.4% · 3,855
- White12.7% · 596
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 132
- Two or more races1.0% · 45
- Black or African American0.6% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Silvas
Silvas 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
#6,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,963
+957 bearers (+23.9%)
Per 100,000 1.68
Rank movement Up 859 places
2020
#6,921
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,681
-282 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 123 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,657 | 4,006 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,798 | 4,963 | 1.68 | +957 bearers (+23.9%) | Up 859 places |
| 2020 | #6,921 | 4,681 | 1.57 | -282 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 123 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 Silvas 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 | #6,798 | #6,921 | -1.8% |
| Count | 4,963 | 4,681 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.68 | 1.57 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Silvas bearers went from 4,963 to 4,681 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 123 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,798 to #6,921.
FAQ
Silvas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Silvas?
Name Census estimates that about 5,368 living Americans carry the surname Silvas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,851 residents.
How common is Silvas?
Silvas ranks #6,921 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,681 people with the surname Silvas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,368), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Silvas.
Has Silvas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Silvas went from 4,963 recorded bearers to 4,681. That is a decrease of 282 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,798 to #6,921.
What does the Census say about the background of Silvas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Silvas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 82.4%. The next largest groups are White (12.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%). 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 Silvas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (3,855 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Silvas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (82.4%), White (12.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.8%). 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 Silvas (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 Silvas mean?
A variant of Silva, a surname of Latin origin meaning "forest" or "woodland." 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 Silvas (1.57 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 surname Silvas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.