Silver Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History - Forebears

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Silver Surname

9,873rd Most Commonsurname in the World

Approximately 57,022 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in: United StatesHighest density in: Canada

Silver Surname Definition:

This surname is not uncommon in the M'earns, and is an old one in the parish of Fetteresso. John Syllar was tenant of the garden of the Hospital of Dundee, 1464 (Cupar-Angus, I, p. 147). James Silvir, "succentor Glasguensi," appears as witness in 1497 (REG.

Read More About This Surname

Silver Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy incidenceBy frequencyBy rankFullscreen

• 2014
• 1901
• 1881
• 1880

Sort resultsIncidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
United States	34,680	1:10,452	1,274
England	4,251	1:13,107	1,937
Canada	3,769	1:9,776	1,464
Nigeria	2,057	1:86,117	6,043
Australia	2,005	1:13,464	1,934
Egypt	1,251	1:73,490	6,720
Malawi	941	1:18,192	2,844
South Africa	928	1:58,381	7,398
Saudi Arabia	795	1:38,812	5,622
Bangladesh	631	1:252,546	7,887
Zimbabwe	517	1:29,861	4,590
Ghana	485	1:55,713	5,980
Morocco	477	1:72,277	12,260
India	388	1:1,976,973	68,062
Scotland	331	1:16,175	1,995
Sweden	246	1:40,027	3,192
Finland	218	1:25,214	3,469
New Zealand	216	1:20,964	3,677
Brazil	186	1:1,150,937	40,026
France	176	1:377,402	56,030
Wales	160	1:19,341	2,064
Dominican Republic	146	1:71,458	3,346
Mexico	140	1:886,616	12,288
Tanzania	134	1:395,087	28,090
Iran	127	1:604,587	33,553
Botswana	105	1:20,828	4,170
Netherlands	98	1:172,318	24,957
Portugal	94	1:110,832	5,195
Uganda	80	1:487,991	28,240
Singapore	77	1:71,529	2,869
Kenya	76	1:607,630	28,249
Ireland	68	1:69,249	4,373
Germany	68	1:1,183,904	77,258
Kuwait	67	1:56,727	6,926
China	62	1:22,053,574	1,221
Estonia	50	1:26,436	4,834
Thailand	50	1:1,412,767	195,138
DR Congo	48	1:1,539,158	86,567
Spain	44	1:1,062,546	38,570
Italy	39	1:1,568,120	82,279
Afghanistan	38	1:846,136	8,622
Argentina	38	1:1,124,827	67,975
Malaysia	38	1:776,164	36,096
Ecuador	36	1:441,829	10,328
Indonesia	36	1:3,673,589	193,360
Namibia	34	1:70,865	7,497
Philippines	31	1:3,265,749	145,701
Rwanda	25	1:454,599	1,711
Pakistan	23	1:7,767,125	41,967
Denmark	19	1:297,090	21,940
Greece	19	1:583,147	70,237
Belgium	17	1:676,273	58,718
Hong Kong	16	1:458,468	3,288
Taiwan	16	1:1,465,297	9,806
Israel	14	1:611,260	42,949
Japan	14	1:9,131,735	44,780
Switzerland	14	1:586,637	40,624
Turkey	14	1:5,558,673	112,907
Algeria	13	1:2,971,658	45,332
Uruguay	13	1:263,981	18,914
Papua New Guinea	12	1:679,476	78,554
United Arab Emirates	12	1:763,523	25,625
Norway	11	1:467,481	39,375
Bahrain	9	1:149,845	5,469
Mozambique	9	1:3,029,063	2,946
Sri Lanka	9	1:2,312,062	9,186
Sudan	9	1:4,167,799	5,799
Vietnam	8	1:11,580,757	2,851
Cameroon	7	1:2,967,010	123,373
Croatia	7	1:604,086	40,820
Jamaica	7	1:409,992	9,090
United States Virgin Islands	7	1:15,768	2,111
Chile	6	1:2,936,079	35,997
Qatar	6	1:393,000	55,922
Venezuela	6	1:5,034,013	43,431
Syria	5	1:3,860,204	11,832
Northern Ireland	4	1:461,259	16,615
Angola	4	1:6,747,304	6,999
Bolivia	4	1:2,654,108	7,945
Bulgaria	4	1:1,744,726	46,837
Colombia	4	1:11,943,518	26,735
Jordan	4	1:2,210,609	20,372
Lebanon	4	1:1,409,271	19,641
Myanmar	4	1:12,984,496	1,309
Poland	4	1:9,502,187	181,606
Puerto Rico	4	1:887,535	4,548
South Korea	4	1:12,810,064	2,073
Togo	4	1:1,811,942	8,122
Tunisia	4	1:152,656	17,743
Bosnia and Herzegovina	3	1:1,178,801	15,876
Cambodia	3	1:5,162,382	10,688
Czechia	3	1:3,544,490	144,714
Haiti	3	1:3,561,302	20,668
Iceland	3	1:126,697	5,403
Jersey	3	1:33,067	4,675
Lithuania	3	1:1,011,529	32,308
Maldives	3	1:134,724	4,057
Peru	3	1:10,594,708	45,902
Yemen	3	1:8,808,431	35,773
Zambia	3	1:5,283,307	43,479
Albania	2	1:1,457,028	24,967
Austria	2	1:4,257,718	99,224
Belize	2	1:177,737	3,502
Brunei	2	1:209,366	3,098
Costa Rica	2	1:2,390,034	10,205
Cyprus	2	1:442,438	9,493
Hungary	2	1:4,908,138	64,617
Kazakhstan	2	1:8,841,248	174,813
Latvia	2	1:1,025,023	41,546
Mauritania	2	1:2,047,432	30,537
Nicaragua	2	1:3,010,545	7,383
Serbia	2	1:3,572,474	32,645
Slovenia	2	1:1,243,838	27,519
Armenia	1	1:2,930,180	22,770
Aruba	1	1:103,477	2,586
Bahamas	1	1:391,751	2,737
Bhutan	1	1:616,039	1,715
British Virgin Islands	1	1:31,594	1,029
Burundi	1	1:9,804,852	2,349
Cape Verde	1	1:529,642	6,792
Chad	1	1:13,592,199	13,092
Cuba	1	1:11,522,716	17,380
Curaçao	1	1:157,247	1,313
Equatorial Guinea	1	1:1,135,674	984
Gambia	1	1:1,923,451	1,043
Georgia	1	1:3,745,545	47,852
Guam	1	1:160,121	4,893
Guernsey	1	1:64,439	2,137
Ivory Coast	1	1:23,071,232	76,679
Liberia	1	1:4,408,535	47,110
Madagascar	1	1:23,649,837	9,420
Malta	1	1:430,272	3,380
Mauritius	1	1:1,293,417	16,552
Moldova	1	1:3,561,368	78,271
Nepal	1	1:28,480,956	22,413
Oman	1	1:3,687,971	14,390
Panama	1	1:3,912,258	17,195
Paraguay	1	1:7,236,746	16,511
Romania	1	1:20,077,870	89,414
Russia	1	1:144,123,056	881,408
San Marino	1	1:33,214	932
Senegal	1	1:14,579,342	11,705
Solomon Islands	1	1:580,029	22,243
Swaziland	1	1:1,298,199	1,718
Trinidad and Tobago	1	1:1,363,975	22,013

Show All Nations

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
Ireland	40	1:110,747	6,785

Sort resultsIncidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
England	1,327	1:18,369	2,649
Scotland	378	1:9,903	1,260
Wales	18	1:87,134	3,963

Place	Incidence	Frequency	Rank in Area
United States	2,914	1:17,234	2,189

The alternate forms: Sílver (1) are calculated separately.

Silver (50,836) may also be a first name.

Silver Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is not uncommon in the M'earns, and is an old one in the parish of Fetteresso. John Syllar was tenant of the garden of the Hospital of Dundee, 1464 (Cupar-Angus, I, p. 147). James Silvir, "succentor Glasguensi," appears as witness in 1497 (REG., p. 496), and may be James Siluer, rector of Durisdere, 1504 (Simon, 92). William Silver de Stobo was a charter witness, 1506 (REG., 485), and another William Siluer or Silwer was a cleric in Aberdeen, 1540, and chaplain of Folaroull, 1546 (REA., II, p. 113; I, p. 431). The name Silver on a tomb in the Calton cemetery, Edinburgh, near the Stevenson 'lair' probably suggested to Robert Louis Stevenson the surname of his 'Long John Silver' in Treasure Island.

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English, German) One who came from locality of that name; dweller near one of various streams in England with that name because of their clea and sparkling water; an Anglicization of Silber, q.v.

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

Probably an old personal name. It corresponds with the German Silber. Ferguson.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

(English), Silver. (variant: Zilver.) Silvertop, White head?

— Surnames (1857) by Bernard Homer Dixon

From the Old Norse, Silfra; nickname from the Danish, Silfver; from the Dutch, Silva; from the Flemish, Silver; a personal name.

— British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

User-submitted Reference

This surname is mainly English, Scottish, German, and Hebrew. Of pre-7th century origins, it has at least three distinct possible sources. Firstly it may be a metonymic occupational name for a silversmith, the derivation being from the Anglo-Saxon word "seolfar" meaning silver. Secondly it may originate as a nickname for a rich man, one who had a lot of silver, thirdly it may be locational from places on watersides where the water itself gave a silvery appearance. Examples of these places include the village of Silverley in Cumbria or Silverdale in Lancashire. Early examples of the surname recordings include: Radolfus Silberer of Oberschwaben, Germany, in 1249, whilst Thomas atte Selure, and Thomas del Silvere were both recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of the county of Worcestershire in 1327 and 1332 respectively. James Silvir was a witness of the Great Seal of Scotland in 1497, and William Silver de Stobo was a charter witness in 1506. Tradition holds that the surname Silver inscribed on a tomb in the Calton cemetery, Edinburgh, suggested to Robert Louis Stevenson the name of Long John Silver in the famous book "Treasure Island". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Lucas Siluer, which was dated 1205, in the "Book of Seals" for Lincolnshire", during the reign of King John, of England, 1199 - 1216. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop," often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

- classyemu

Often an anglicized version of common Portuguese surnames Silva, Sylva, de Silva, and de Sylva.

- jeffsilvers

Silvere comes from the Latin word, silva, meaning 'forest'.

- silvere

Silver is an Anglocised variant of "Silverstein".

- joel88Read translated descriptions of this surname from other languagesSubmit the Meaning of This Surname for a Chance To Win a $60 Genealogy DNA TestDNA test informationDisplay Statistics on:

• Average Salary in:United StatesCanadaColombiaEnglandNorwayScotlandSouth AfricaUnited StatesWales
• Height:EarthEarth
• Religious Adherence in:IrelandIrelandKenyaNigeria
• Political Affiliation in:United StatesUnited States

Silver Demographics

Average Silver Salary inUnited States

$49,200 USD

Per year

Rank: 427,979 of 1,180,305Percentage of all salaries earned by bearers:0.00939339Rank: 1,281 of 1,181,369Percentage of national average salary:114.02%Sample size: 16,283 (2014)

Average Salary inUnited States

$43,149 USD

Per year

Per month: $3,596 USDPer week: $799 USDPer day: $118 USD

View the highest/lowest earning families in The United States

Silver Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Silver Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Silver (Arabic: سيلفر, Hassaniya-Arabic: ﺳﻴﻠﻔﻴﺮ, Marathi: वेर) is found most in The United States. It may also appear as: Sílver. For other potential spellings of this name click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Silver? popularity and diffusion

The last name is the 9,873rd most commonly occurring last name at a global level, borne by approximately 1 in 127,802 people. The surname occurs predominantly in The Americas, where 58 percent of Silver are found; 57 percent are found in North America and 57 percent are found in Anglo-North America. Silver is also the 18,260th most frequently held forename on earth, held by 50,836 people.

The last name Silver is most commonly occurring in The United States, where it is carried by 34,680 people, or 1 in 10,452. In The United States it is most frequent in: California, where 13 percent live, Florida, where 8 percent live and North Carolina, where 8 percent live. Aside from The United States this last name exists in 144 countries. It also occurs in England, where 7 percent live and Canada, where 7 percent live.

Silver Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The incidence of Silver has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the Silver last name expanded 1,190 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it expanded 320 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it fell 12 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it expanded 889 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it expanded 170 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Silver Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those carrying the Silver surname is predominantly Catholic (80%) in Ireland, Christian (100%) in Kenya and Muslim (58%) in Nigeria.

In The United States those holding the Silver surname are 39.15% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than The US average, with 92.38% registered to vote for the party.

The amount Silver earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 110.21% more than the national average, earning 727,500 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 77.05% more than the national average, earning R 420,732 per year; in Colombia they earn 20.23% less than the national average, earning $18,108,800 COP per year; in United States they earn 14.02% more than the national average, earning $49,200 USD per year and in Canada they earn 20.94% more than the national average, earning $60,086 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Sort resultsIncidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A

Surname	Similarity	Worldwide Incidence	Prevalency
Sílver	94	1	/
Silvert	92	1,123	/
Silvere	92	138	/
Silverå	92	28	/
Silveir	92	23	/
Shilver	92	15	/
Silvear	92	14	/
Silvier	92	7	/
Silever	92	4	/
Sielver	92	3	/
Suilver	92	3	/
Silveer	92	2	/
Silvher	92	2	/
Silverd	92	2	/
Silverz	92	1	/
Seilver	92	0	/
Silve	91	1,898	/
Silveire	86	3	/
Silvesre	86	2	/
Silvhesr	86	1	/
Schilver	86	1	/
Silveyrr	86	1	/
Silvey	83	6,452	/
Sylver	83	1,885	/
Silvee	83	1,084	/
Selver	83	894	/
Silves	83	439	/
Silvie	83	420	/
Gilver	83	123	/
Zilver	83	113	/
Silvea	83	81	/
Silvet	83	79	/
Cilver	83	14	/
Shilve	83	4	/
Jilver	83	4	/
Silved	83	4	/
Sileve	83	4	/
Slever	83	3	/
Silvir	83	2	/
Silvei	83	2	/
Sailve	83	1	/
Silvej	83	1	/
Silevhere	80	14	/
Silverova	80	4	/
Silvesrre	80	1	/
Sylvere	77	828	/
Chilver	77	717	/
Silvest	77	609	/
Shelver	77	528	/
Gilvear	77	334	/
Sylvert	77	216	/
Sileber	77	119	/
Selvert	77	24	/
Silvett	77	23	/
Gilvert	77	21	/
Silvhed	77	15	/
Silvesh	77	13	/
Silvesd	77	13	/
Silvetz	77	8	/
Silvère	77	8	/
Silvair	77	5	/
Cilvert	77	4	/
Silveas	77	2	/
Saylver	77	2	/
Zilvert	77	2	/
Zilvere	77	2	/
Silvior	77	2	/
Sylveer	77	2	/
Silveys	77	1	/
Gilverd	77	1	/
Shilber	77	1	/
Silvess	77	1	/
Silvajr	77	1	/
Selvere	77	1	/
Sielvie	77	1	/
Silvets	77	1	/
Sielves	77	1	/
Seilvey	77	0	/
Silleve	77	0	/
Cuilver	77	0	/
Silveirová	75	1	/
Silva	73	5,875,328	/
Silvi	73	3,668	/
Silvy	73	3,175	/
Sylve	73	1,008	/
Selve	73	630	/
Cilve	73	90	/
Silvá	73	5	/
Sälve	73	4	/
Zilve	73	2	/
Silvj	73	1	/
Silvä	73	1	/
Shilbert	71	28	/
Schelver	71	25	/
Chilvere	71	22	/
Chilverd	71	6	/
Seilbert	71	2	/
Schlever	71	1	/
Silvhesh	71	1	/
Silvhest	71	1	/
Shielber	71	1	/
Sellever	71	1	/
Shelvier	71	1	/
Szilveaz	71	1	/
Seilbehr	71	0	/
Chilvert	71	0	/
Gillever	71	0	/
Silvio	67	4,132	/
Silvis	67	2,754	/
Selvey	67	2,243	/
Selves	67	839	/
Gelver	67	419	/
Selvie	67	214	/
Sylves	67	213	/
Cilvez	67	186	/
Silvay	67	154	/
Shilue	67	131	/
Sielva	67	124	/
Silvaa	67	120	/
Shilvi	67	117	/
Selvet	67	114	/
Silvoy	67	80	/
Šelver	67	73	/
Chilve	67	65	/
Sailva	67	59	/
Selvez	67	53	/
Zelver	67	40	/
Sailvi	67	22	/
Sielvy	67	22	/
Selverova	67	21	/
Silvha	67	20	/
Silvai	67	19	/
Celver	67	18	/
Selvee	67	18	/
Jelver	67	16	/
Sielvi	67	14	/
Ssilva	67	13	/
Shilva	67	9	/
Silvaj	67	9	/
Sylvee	67	7	/
Suilva	67	6	/
Selvir	67	5	/
Sylvey	67	5	/
Shelve	67	5	/
Sylvet	67	5	/
Selvei	67	4	/
Seilva	67	4	/
Silvid	67	3	/
Zylver	67	3	/
Silvhi	67	2	/
Silewe	67	2	/
Shilvy	67	2	/
Selveu	67	2	/
Ċsilva	67	2	/
Sealve	67	2	/
Sylvér	67	2	/
Cilves	67	2	/
Sislvy	67	1	/
Silvys	67	1	/
Shylve	67	1	/
Syleve	67	1	/
Soilva	67	1	/
Hsilva	67	1	/
Shilwe	67	1	/
Shilbe	67	1	/
Silvit	67	1	/
Silevy	67	1	/
Silvyo	67	1	/
Seilvi	67	1	/
Sailwe	67	1	/
Silhva	67	1	/
Silvoa	67	1	/
Selvea	67	0	/
Schelvert	67	0	/

Show All Similar Surnames

Silver Name Transliterations

Transliteration	ICU Latin	Percentage of Incidence
Silver in the Hassaniya-Arabic language
ﺳﻴﻠﻔﻴﺮ	sylfyr	-
Silver in the Marathi language
वेर	vera	-
Silver in the Arabic language
سيلفر	sylfr	-
سيلفير	sylfyr	-

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Silver Reference & Research

Silver / Serebryany FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

• Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
• Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
• Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
• Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
• Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
• Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
• Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Silver
• To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis