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

Silvera, 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 Silvera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Silvera in America

Silvera is the 14363rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Silvera surname appeared 2,082 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Silvera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Silvera 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 Silvera

The surname Silvera originated in Portugal during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "silva," meaning "forest" or "woodland," combined with the suffix "-era," which indicates a place or location. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or in a forested area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Silvera surname can be found in the Livro Velho de Linhagens (Old Book of Lineages), a Portuguese manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions a noble family with the surname Silvera, indicating their presence in the region during that time.

Another notable historical reference is the appearance of the name Silvera in the Libro del Repartimiento de Sevilla (Book of the Distribution of Seville), a document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and property in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Christian forces in 1248. Several individuals with the surname Silvera were listed as recipients of land grants in this record.

The Silvera surname has also been linked to various place names in Portugal, such as Silveira, a parish in the municipality of Torres Vedras, and Silveiras, a former parish in the municipality of Sernancelhe. These place names likely derived from the same Latin root, "silva," and may have contributed to the formation of the surname.

Notable historical figures with the surname Silvera include:

1. João Silvera (c. 1270 - c. 1330), a Portuguese nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista campaigns against the Moors.
2. Afonso Silvera (c. 1400 - c. 1470), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied the early Portuguese expeditions along the West African coast.
3. Beatriz Silvera (c. 1520 - c. 1590), a Spanish-born writer and poet who lived in Portugal during the Renaissance period.
4. Diogo Silvera (c. 1580 - c. 1650), a Portuguese architect and engineer known for his work on several churches and fortifications in Goa, India.
5. Manuel Silvera (c. 1760 - c. 1830), a Spanish-born military officer who served in the Spanish colonial forces in the Americas and participated in the campaigns against the British during the American Revolutionary War.

Over time, the Silvera surname has spread to various regions, including Spain, Italy, and Latin American countries, due to migration and the expansion of the Portuguese and Spanish empires. While the name has evolved and adapted to different linguistic and cultural contexts, its origins can be traced back to the forests and woodlands of medieval Portugal.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Silvera

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

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 Silvera 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 Silvera 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 Silvera was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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