# Silva (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/silva/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Portuguese |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 161,633 |
| US rank (2010) | 163 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,910 people |
| Change since 2000 | +28% (126,164 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɪlvə/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese Silva.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Silva in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 33% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 2.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 61% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.0% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Silva in Brazil, the United States, Portugal, France, Argentina and Guinea-Bissau.

## People named Silva

- Thiago Silva, Brazilian association football player
- Gilberto Silva, Brazilian footballer
- Rafael Pereira da Silva, Brazilian footballer (born 1990)
- Marina Silva, Brazilian environmentalist and politician (born 1958)
- Mauro Silva, Brazilian association football player
- Rafaela Silva, Brazilian judoka
- Adhemar da Silva, Brazilian triple jumper (1927–2001)
- Anderson Silva, Brazilian mixed martial artist
- Lucas Silva, Brazilian footballer (born 1993)
- Luiz Guilherme da Conceição Silva, Brazilian association football player
- Henry Silva, American actor (1926–2022)
- Léo Silva, Brazilian association football player

and 130 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Sylvia, Silvia, Silvey, Sylva, Sliva, Salva, Self, Shelby, Selby, Scalf, Selph, Salvo.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.