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Wikipedia / Silva

Silva is a surname of Portuguese or Galician origin that is widespread in the Portuguese-speaking countries, including Brazil. It may derive from any of various places in Iberia named Silva, or else from the common noun , which means "bramble" in modern Portuguese but originally meant "forest".

The name is widespread in Galician-speaking regions of Spain (mostly in Galicia) and even more so in regions of the former Portuguese Empire in the Americas (being the most common surname in Brazil), in Africa and Asia, notably in India and Sri Lanka. It is also quite common in Spanish-speaking Latin America.

Movement of people has led to the name being used in many places. Due to emigration from Portuguese-speaking countries, Silva (other variant forms include: "da Silva", "de Silva", "d'Silva", "e Silva", "Silvea") is the fifth most common surname in the French department of Val-de-Marne, outside Paris, and it was the 19th most common family name given to newborns between 1966 and 1990 in France.

Distribution of the surname Silva in Brazil

In the North Region, the surname Silva is very widespread, with significant percentages in all states. In Acre, more than a quarter of the population (27.74%) bears this surname, while in Amazonas and Amapá the percentages are 18.79% and 17.06%, respectively. High values are also recorded in Pará (19.62%), Rondônia (16.24%), Roraima (19.76%), and Tocantins (19.09%), confirming a strong presence of the surname in the northern part of Brazil, where there are more than 3.2 million people named Silva in total.

In the Northeast Region, the surname Silva reaches some of the highest percentages in Brazil. The states with the greatest concentration are Alagoas (35.75%) and Pernambuco (34.23%), followed by Paraíba (28.18%) and Rio Grande do Norte (27.84%). In Maranhão and Piauí, approximately one in every four inhabitants is a Silva (23.34% and 23.59%, respectively), while in Bahia, the most populous state in the region, there are more than 2.4 million people with this surname (17.59%). These figures indicate that the Northeast represents the true historical and cultural epicenter of the Silva surname in Brazil.

In the Central-West Region, the surname maintains a significant presence, though with slightly lower percentages. In Goiás, 17.02% of the population bears the surname Silva, while in Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul the percentages are 17.80% and 14.51%. In the Federal District, 13.88% of residents are Silva. Altogether, nearly 2.6 million inhabitants of the Central-West share this surname.

In the Southeast Region, the most populous in the country, the surname Silva remains one of the most common, although with more moderate percentages compared to the Northeast. In Minas Gerais, 3.1 million people (15.40%) bear the surname; in São Paulo, Brazil's largest state, the number exceeds 5.9 million (13.35%). In Rio de Janeiro, 2.5 million inhabitants (15.67%) share the surname, while in Espírito Santo the proportion is 11.72%. Altogether, around 12.5 million people named Silva live in the Southeast Region.

In the South Region, the percentages are the lowest, but the surname remains among the most widespread. In Paraná, nearly 1.1 million people (9.93%) are Silva, while in Rio Grande do Sul the percentage reaches 10.48%. In Santa Catarina, however, only 8.06% of the population bears this surname—the lowest proportion in Brazil. Altogether, the South Region has around 2.3 million inhabitants with the surname Silva.

At the national level, the surname Silva is the most common in all of Brazil, with 34,030,104 people, representing 16.76% of the total population. Its distribution across all regions reflects the Portuguese origins of the surname and its deep roots in Brazil's history and demographic formation. In practice, approximately one in every six Brazilians bears the surname Silva, making it a distinctive symbol of national identity.

Arts

Actors

Musicians

Painters and sculptors

Writers

First name

  • Silva Kaputikyan (1919–2006), Armenian poet, writer, academician, and public activist

Surname

Other arts

Historical figures

Judiciary

  • Eurico da Silva (1933–2025), Indian judge of the High Court of Bombay

  • Janak de Silva, Sri Lankan puisne justice of the Supreme Court (since 2020)

Media

Political and military figures

Religion

Scholars

Sports

Many people on this list are not generally known as Silva.

Auto racing

Basketball

Beach volleyball

Cricket

Football

Brazil

Male international players

Female international players

Others

Colombia

Croatia

England

Equatorial Guinea

France

Paraguay

Portugal

Spain

Sri Lanka

Uruguay

Managers and referees

Martial arts

Track and field

Other sports

Other professions

Fictional characters

See also

Name disambiguation pages

More specific surname disambiguation pages

References

Bibliography

  • BOUZA ZERRANO, José. Da Descendência de Don Francisco Prieto Gayoso. Edição do Autor, 1ª Edição, Lisboa, 1980.

  • COROMINES, Joan. Onomasticon Cataloniæ (vol. I-VIII). Barcelona: 1994.

  • SOUSA, Manuel de. As origens dos apelidos das famílias portuguesas. Sporpress, 2001.

  • TÁVORA, D. Luis de Lancastre e. Dicionário das Famílias Portuguesas. Quetzal Editores, 2ª Edição, Lisboa, pág. 324.