# Silver (surname)

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

An English surname originating as an occupation for a silversmith or a rich man, or for someone having silvery gray hair or living by a silvery brook.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 22,052 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,632 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 14,001 people |
| Change since 2000 | +0.4% (21,956 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɪlvɚ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

As a surname, anglicised from the German Jewish ornamental surname Silber.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Silver 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) | 80% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 12% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 3.1% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.8% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.9% |
| Two or more races | 1.9% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Silver in the United States and the Russian Empire.

## People named Silver

- Horace Silver, American jazz pianist and composer (1928–2014)
- Ron Silver, American actor (1946-2009)
- Adam Silver, American businessman and NBA commissioner
- Phil Silvers, American entertainer, comedic actor, songwriter (1911-1985)
- Joel Silver, American film producer (born 1952)
- Nate Silver, American statistician, journalist, and poker player (born 1978)
- Scott Silver, American film director and screenwriter
- Michael B. Silver, American actor
- Spencer Silver, American chemist (1941–2021)
- John Silver, British drummer
- Josh Silver, American keyboardist and producer
- Emily Silver, American swimmer

and 7 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Silveira, Silverio, Slover, Silvera, Slifer, Silverman, Silvers, Silverstein, Silberman, Silber, Silverberg, Silvernail.

## 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.