2000
#4,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,372
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.73
Rare Last name
Silvers
A descriptive surname likely referring to a person with gray or white hair, or who worked with silver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,173 Americans carry the last name Silvers. That puts it at #4,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,937 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Silvers 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 Silvers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,937
Census rank
#4,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,127 bearers of the surname Silvers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Silvers, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Silvers
The surname Silvers is an occupational name derived from the Old English word 'siolfor' or 'seolfor,' meaning silver. It originated in England and was likely given to someone who worked as a silversmith or dealt in silver during medieval times.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Silvers dates back to the 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners in England, the name appears as 'Aylward le Seolver' from Wiltshire. This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name from its Old English roots.
The Silvers surname also has ties to various place names in England. For instance, the village of Silverdale in Lancashire and Silverhill in Staffordshire likely contributed to the surname's development through association with these locations.
One notable historical figure bearing the Silvers surname was William Silvers, a merchant and alderman who lived in London during the 16th century (c. 1530-1604). He was a prominent figure in the city's trade and governance.
Another early record of the Silvers name can be found in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a John Silvers was mentioned in 1587.
In the 17th century, a Thomas Silvers (c. 1620-1690) was a notable figure in colonial America, serving as a member of the Maryland General Assembly and a Justice of the Peace in Calvert County.
The Silvers surname also has a connection to the arts, with the British painter Anita Silvers (1888-1968) gaining recognition for her landscapes and portraits during the early 20th century.
Another notable figure was Ernest Silvers (1909-1985), an American football player and coach who played for the Chicago Cardinals and later coached at several universities, including the University of Southern California.
While the Silvers surname has its roots in England, it has since spread globally, with families bearing this name found in various parts of the world, reflecting the widespread migration of people over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Silvers
Among Census respondents with the surname Silvers, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Silvers 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 Silvers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 6,197
- Black or African American4.4% · 313
- Two or more races3.6% · 257
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 237
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Silvers
Silvers 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
#4,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,602
+230 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 222 places
2020
#4,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,127
-475 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,442 | 7,372 | 2.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,664 | 7,602 | 2.58 | +230 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 222 places |
| 2020 | #4,808 | 7,127 | 2.38 | -475 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 144 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 Silvers 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 | #4,664 | #4,808 | -3.1% |
| Count | 7,602 | 7,127 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.58 | 2.38 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Silvers bearers went from 7,602 to 7,127 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,664 to #4,808.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Silvers
FAQ
Silvers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Silvers?
Name Census estimates that about 8,173 living Americans carry the surname Silvers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,937 residents.
How common is Silvers?
Silvers ranks #4,808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.38 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 7,127 people with the surname Silvers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.38 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 Silvers.
Has Silvers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Silvers went from 7,602 recorded bearers to 7,127. That is a decrease of 475 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,664 to #4,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Silvers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Silvers, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Silvers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (6,197 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Silvers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Silvers (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 Silvers mean?
A descriptive surname likely referring to a person with gray or white hair, or who worked with silver. 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 Silvers (2.38 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 Americans have the surname Silvers?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.