Find out how popular the last name Silveira is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Silveira.

Silveira, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Silveira surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Silveira in America

Silveira is the 5545th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Silveira surname appeared 6,267 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Silveira.

We can also compare 2010 data for Silveira to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Silveira

The surname Silveira originates from Portugal, dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Portuguese word "silveira," which means a wild plum tree or bramble bush. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near or owned land with an abundance of these plants.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Silveira surname can be found in the 13th century Portuguese manuscript "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), which documented noble families and their coats of arms. This indicates that the name was already established among the Portuguese nobility during this period.

In the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, several individuals bearing the Silveira surname played significant roles in Portugal's maritime explorations. Notably, João de Silveira, born around 1450, was a prominent Portuguese navigator and explorer who led expeditions along the West African coast.

Another notable figure from this era was Álvaro de Silveira, born in the late 15th century, who served as a Portuguese ambassador to the Kingdom of Kongo (present-day Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the early 16th century. His diplomatic efforts facilitated cultural and trade exchanges between the two nations.

In the 16th century, the Silveira surname gained prominence in Brazil, as Portuguese colonists and explorers bearing the name settled in various regions of the country. One notable figure was Fernão Rodrigues Silveira, born around 1520, who was a prominent landowner and sugar plantation owner in the northeastern region of Brazil.

The 17th century saw the rise of Manuel da Silveira e Sousa, born in 1639, who was a renowned Portuguese historian and author. His works, such as the "Memorias Ressuscitadas da Provincia de Entre Douro e Minho" (Revived Memories of the Province of Entre Douro e Minho), provided valuable insights into the history and culture of northern Portugal during that time.

As the Silveira surname spread throughout Portugal and its colonies, it became associated with various place names and localities. For example, the town of Silveira in the district of Portalegre, Portugal, and the municipality of Silveiras in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, both derive their names from the Silveira surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Silveira

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Silveira.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Silveira was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Silveira has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Silveira was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Silveira, please contact us.

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