2000
#5,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,437
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.02
Rare Last name
Silveira
A Portuguese topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a thicket or grove of wild trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,306 Americans carry the last name Silveira. That puts it at #5,279 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Silveira 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 Silveira with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 46,914
Census rank
#5,279
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,371 bearers of the surname Silveira in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5279th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Silveira, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Silveira
Among Census respondents with the surname Silveira, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Silveira 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 Silveira surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.8% · 4,829
- Hispanic or Latino15.1% · 962
- Two or more races3.2% · 206
- Black or African American3.0% · 194
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Silveira
Silveira 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
#5,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,267
+830 bearers (+15.3%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Up 279 places
2020
#5,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,371
+104 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Up 266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,824 | 5,437 | 2.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,545 | 6,267 | 2.12 | +830 bearers (+15.3%) | Up 279 places |
| 2020 | #5,279 | 6,371 | 2.13 | +104 bearers (+1.7%) | Up 266 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 Silveira 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 | #5,545 | #5,279 | 4.8% |
| Count | 6,267 | 6,371 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.12 | 2.13 | 0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Silveira bearers went from 6,267 to 6,371 (+1.7% change). The surname moved up 266 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,545 to #5,279.
FAQ
Silveira surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Silveira?
Name Census estimates that about 7,306 living Americans carry the surname Silveira. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,914 residents.
How common is Silveira?
Silveira ranks #5,279 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.13 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 6,371 people with the surname Silveira. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.13 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 Silveira.
Has Silveira become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Silveira went from 6,267 recorded bearers to 6,371. That is an increase of 104 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,545 to #5,279.
What does the Census say about the background of Silveira?
Among Census respondents with the surname Silveira, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.1%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Silveira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.8% (4,829 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Silveira appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.8%), Hispanic (15.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Silveira (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 Silveira mean?
A Portuguese topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a thicket or grove of wild trees. 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 Silveira (2.13 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 Silveira?
Want to know how many people have the surname Silveira? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.