I have taken a brief pause to search out the history of the da Silva surname: where did it come from and what does it mean? It has been an interesting search in which I have learned a lot. I do get a sense that finding the true answer to these questions is difficult if not impossible. It is obscured by the lack of conclusive historical documents on the subject.
The meaning is clear. According to this newsgroup posting the name was derived from the Latin word “hisses” which means forest. It is possible that people took the name da Silva because they lived or worked in or near a forest. It is unclear if the meaning is related to the origin however. It is interesting to note that Wikipedia claims that Silva is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil.
Another newgroup posting explains the Silva name has a noble context. Responding to a question where the surname originated the posting states, “What GENEALOGISTS generally say are things as the following (addapted [sic] from ‘Armorial Lusitano’)
<<Dom Guterre Alderete was the ‘senhor’ (lord? squire?) of ‘torre de Silva’ (Silva tower), in Alderete village, near Valenca (Valenc,a [sic]) town, Minho province, north of Portugal. He was son of Dom Pelaio Guterres and gr-son of Dom Guterre Pais. He was in the conquest of Coimbra by king Ferdinand I from Castilla (1017-1065), who later was also king of Lion. His son was Dom Paio Guterres DA SILVA, married twice and all his sons used the DA SILVA name.>>”
Searching for information on Dom Guterre Alderete was interesting. With the help of website translators I was able to learn quite a bit. For example, I searched for Alderete on Google Maps and found 
the map posted to the left of this text. It is centered on Alderete, a city in northern border or Portugal. This coincides with the newsgroup posting (citing Amorial Lusitano) stating that Minho province – where the Silva tower and Alderete are located – is in Northern Portugal. I noticed that there is a city in Portugal named Silva on the map that is about two inches to the south west of Alderete. Did the city get the name from the family, or did the family get the name from the tower which got the name from something else (like the forest)?
This is why 
I am not sure that Dom Guterre Alderete is the father of the surname. It could be possible that people (common people that is) had the surname da Silva before it was made noble. It is hard to see if this is true, because the historical documents usually chronicle the lives of the famous. The common folk are ever present but unobservable. It is possible that my family are descendants from this noble line. It is also possible that that we are not. The research that I have done to this point has neither confirmed nor negated any links. I, however, looked more into Silva tower and the more noble history (since it was easier to find). I found a blog posting that had pictures of the tower. I would like to recommend a few sites (which need translation if you don’t read portuguese). They are: O MORGADO E A CASA DA SILVA, and Câmara Municipal de Valença.
There are other explanations concerning the origin of the name. One that is found in newsgroups and websites such as this one, is that the da Silva surname is Sephardic. This group of Jews found on the Iberian Peninsula had this name. The author of the website explains: “Because Jewish Sephardic names are often so ancient, discovering the origins and meanings of these names can be of interest. I have elected to skip Jewish names that were simply adopted from existing spanish names (Rodriguez, Henriquez, etc.) because I cannot provide a meaning to them of Jewish interest other than that they were adopted from Spanish names – usually their Catholic godfather when forcibly converted. Many of these families reverted to Judaism when able to do so.” Perhaps this is reading too much into the website, but because da Silva is found in the list the author thinks it is Jewish in origin and not an adopted name.
I will be devoting some more time in the future to continue this research into the origin of the da Silva family name.
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My grandfather came to Brazil from Açores Island. Do you have some conection about the Portugueses Island and the Jews? Or do you know any website that I can go to get it? Thanks for any information and your time,
Jane Rodrigues da Silva
My family came to Hawaii from the Madeira Islands (Porto Santo specifically). I do not have any connection to the Azores or to the Jews that I know of yet. I have only traced my lineage back to the 1850’s so far.
Hi. It was nice to find this site. I’ve been trying to get information for my family surname but dont know how to. This is definetly something to start with, you have done a lot of information and i appreciate it.
I am working on a school project tracing the origin of my surname i was wondering if you could help. Email me if you can thank you.
I have traced back my family to the 13th century.. my ancestral mother was Vincenzina de Silva – she was noble and from Portugal. I saw her family crest somewhere and it had the rampant lion in it. This usually suggest Jewish origin and somewhere I read it suggested that Da Silva might have been one of the seven tribes of Israel. I read they were one of the royal families of Israel.If they came to Portugal, many Jews were into trade, commerce and this could have been how they acquired and maintained their seat of power in Portugal.
Just a note further, Vincenzina de Silva married into
the highest Spanish nobility (Basques) that included knights, and Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand – who were second cousins – as their relatives. She married into the “Spanish” line that were involved in claiming Italy for Spain. Therefore, if she were of Jewish descent, her family must have renounced it publicly and the marriage was favorable because of her family’s wealth and power. I keep looking for more about this family and haven’t found anything else..I only find names of family members and that they were from Portugal. This ancestor is especially meaningful to me because my great-great grandmother was named after her decades later.
According to a few Sphardic web sites, which list all the possible Sphardic Jew family names in Iberia, almost every one in Portugal is of Jewish decent. So… whatever happened to all the Portuguese family names whose ancestors were: Gallaeci, Celtici, Cynetes, Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Suevi, Buri, Visigoths, Moors, Alan, Greeks, Romans, and of course, Lusitanians?
With unintended, dark contrast, here’s another possibility for the origin of the Silva family name: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Flavius_Silva
gostei muito de tudo que li…sou Brasileiro e muito achegado aos judeus. creio que eu seja de origem judaica..gostaria de mais informações..
My name is Dilan De Silva, I am a Sri Lankan.i want to know how de silva srename came to srilanka?also I like to know is desilva and silva are two surnames or one surname?
hi my name’s also Dilan De Silva, did u find the answer to ur question? pls e-mail back on dilandesilva@hotmail.co.uk
The name came to India from Portuguese colonialists. It’s probably most common around Goa and up to Mumbai, but there is Portuguese influence in the south and from there probably to Sri Lanka. I’m curious: is your family religion Christian then?
As I have stated in previous comments, my family came from the Madeira Islands. I do not know anything about Sri Lankan surname history to give an opinion either way if the da Silva’s and the De Silva’s come from a similar ancestor or not.
well im glad i found this site. ive been trying to figure out where my last name came from and if my ancestors are from brazil or something. both of my parents are from Guatemala. if you know of any site where i can go back to on my family tree, or any suggestions please please let me know…
my last name is not “DA” SILVA, its just simply SILVA<3
My father is from Peru. His last name is Silva as mine is. Peruvian tradition takes on the mother’s last name. There is talk among my peruvian family that we are of Jewish descent. However, There is no geneological evidence. Yet, the last time my father & I visited Peru, my aunts made a family favorite dish. I for got the name of it, but it was a Jewish dish passed on to my aunts from my father’s mother.
My grandfather was Tomas Silva and he was born in Portugal in the late 1800′s. He shared many stories with the family as to the origin of our roots. I do know that he often mentioned that we were Portugese but in my research I have come to find that the roots of the portugese are Jewish. Then also I remember the the apostle Paul’s secretary was Silvanus root name SILVA, so I kind of believe its true our name may have a Jewish origin. I’ll keep searching.Oh my great great grandfather was Severo Silva, again from Portugal.
My Father is Tom Silva and my Grandfather also. We are from New Mexico and my Grandfather just passed away… Just started to trace my roots.
I was born in 1959 in Belen New Mexico. My father was Enrique Silva also born in 1927 in (Los Trillos)Belen New Mexico. His father Gregorio Silva was born in Belen New Mexico in 1877. As far as I know his father was Juan Silva also from New Mexico. I have not searched my roots any further. Does anyone have any information on the Silva’s from New Mexico?
I am also researching my family. I have an old photo of my great great grandmother. It states her name was Rufina De Silva, which became Rufina Gallegos after marrying my Great Great Grandfather. According to the 1880 centus from Ancetry.com, They lived in Valvere, Socorro, NM. The Census States she and her parents were born in the New Mexico Territory. I have yet to find them or even record of Rufina’s birth other than the census of 1880, which says she was born in 1841. She may have been born at home and there is no official record.
I know that Spain ruled New Mexico before it became a State so there are alot of Spanish people that intermarried with the Mexicans and Indians in the area. I am sure others from other places like Portugal would have also migrated to the Spanish Ruled Territory of New Mexico. Reading on the history of New Mexico was very enlightening.
It would be awesome to add Portugese to my list of ancestors .. as well as the Jewish origin. I like the reference back to Paul.
My name is Lisa Silva, my Grandfather Tom Silva is from Belen New Mexico but just passed away. My father is Tom Gerard Silva, my brother is Steve Silva… I was trying to find some family history and stumbled upon this site. I can be reached @ passion4nursing@yahoo.com.
I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT MY NAME. WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS THAT WE ARE ALL BROTHERS
Hi…My name is Jeevan D’silva, I am from Bangalore a southern City in the south part of India. I was born to Christian parents in Managlore. I am very keen to know how Dsilva surname came to my family in India. This surname is found only among christian families in India. I have heard that Silva was a tribe living in some part of portugal long long time ago….i guess some of the portuguees missionaries while in india wld have converted my forefathers and given this name….not sure if this cld be true….I will be eager to see if anyone can throw some light on my curiosity and eagerness to know How surname D’silva came to some of the Indian Christains…I can be contacted at – jeevan.dsilva@gmail.com
hola soy de Uruguay-Sud-America y soy Da Silva también no tengo mucha info sobre esto, lo que se es que llegaron aqui provenientes de Brasil alli por el año 1850 masomenos.
mail: este_marc@hotmail.com
Even fathoming the origin of a surname is weird. I was told once a name with the word ‘of’ (de or da) meant that one’s ancestors once worked as a peasant or even as a slave for the family Silva, meaning you were ‘of’ the family Silva (i.e. owned by them/worked for them). Perhaps that was really far fetched, but then again maybe not. You research does not seem to corroborate this. Also, the Tower of Silva is known as Torre de Silva in Portuguese. There has to be a point in time when the names diverged. Perhaps another group of Silvas tried to capitalize on the name de Silva or even breakaway from the de Silvas. Who will ever know?
I have heard of this also from someone I recently meet from Mexico.
My family lives in St. Vincent (da Silva). WE have a bit of Portuguese descendants here. I have very little information on exactly where the family came from, the Portuguese here came from Madeira. But I was told that the da Silva family came from Portugal. The name is also popular in Trinidad. I also heard that there may be a connection in Martinique, but I am unsure about this. Cannot find any information here as well.
Hi Patrice,
My father’s last name is Da Silva. In my research I came accross a picture taken in St.Vincent of a group of friends and family. Two of whom were god parents of my father’s brother-in-law. I have a big mystery on my father’s side of his family I am trying to solve with very little to go on. This is way back in the 1800′s to early 1900′s. I am from Trinidad as well so maybe we can see if there is some connection. Other names ….De Souza, Ferriera
I would love to hear from you. My email is yamaniiman@aol.com.
Thank you for your time,
Carol.
Silva is the ultimate mutt name most common Portuguese name worldwide.. My father was da Silva, my name is just Silva, the da or de really is meaningless it means from or of the Silva, which in Portuguese there is thorn bushes they call… silvas.. so it does mean from the forests or woods.. The de and da or removal all together changes through immigration.. i was Portuguese born da Silva but because of hand written birth papers and poor translation efforts when i immigrated at 6 years old the good ol US took away the da… my brother born in America 5 years prior to my birth kept the da.. my sister born in England just plain Silva like me.. so moving around caused the da to change to de or drop all together, as told by my mother in portugal da Silva, Silva or de Silva.. you’re all Silva’s as in Portugal da or de is not considered a name or atleast this i was told
interessting find
for the Silva peoples around the world. its hard to track back Silva. its such a common name like smith in america or meier in germany. during the colonization between 16-18 century the name silva was spreaded around the whole world.
from brazil over africa to india.
Another story about the jews in portugal,which i cant confirm, is i think it was in the 14th century the cath. church set a ultimatum to the jews. they convert the cath. religion or they most go out of cath. countrys. alot of the jewish trader landed in hamburg/germany for example. the rest which havent the money to move out, must give they name up. so alot of the jews received names of plants, trees etc.
Silva is a plant in portugal, it means thorns, im portuguese i know it
but if the name da Silva or silva was part of this, im not sure.
So dont thing that you have so special name, its spreaded in portugal like a avian flu
But 1 thing is sure more portuguese name then da silva dont exists
The surname Silva does indeed have Jewish roots. I am Jewish, and my last name is Silva. This last name is one of the most common surnames in the world and I love it’s simplicity and strength.
as more people came from cape verde islands & portugal too the name dasilva &de silva both became more & more americanized. especially at ellis island where the workers could not correctly pronounce our names properly. as a result the workers sometimes eliminated certain vowels from our last names. the last name sylvia is originally dasilva or desilva. this name has gone from dasilva,desilva to silva to silvia to sylvia…
Good day, I am Francine Dassylva, descendant of Pedro DaSilva, that came to Canada in the 1600. He was born in 1647 in Lisbon, and his parents name were Joseph (or Jose) DaSilva, and Marie Francois. From what I learnt, both parents died in Quebec, meaning that Pedro came with his family. Also, Pedro became the first courrier for the king, of la Nouvelle France. He was an educated man that knew how to read. Does that mean that he came from a wealthy family? Who was Pedro, I don’t know. Do you have any idea? Thank you for whatever information you can give me.
Hi Francine,
This post is coming to you a little late but I have also discovered that I am a descendant of Pedro DaSilva and Marie Francois. What an interesting history with such strong ties to Canadian history. I am currently trying to research more about Pedro’s family history.
aloha, my name is Robbie silva i am the grandson of Joao Da Silva of san migual and, Julia Fernandez of madera, they migrated to hawaii in 1890 give or take a few years.my fathers name is james silva,he is 79 years old and has not had any contact with any of his family from the Azores since the 1930′s.my father since i was a child has told me stories of being desendence of nights and nobles,stories from my gradfather which he claims goes back centuries. my father had spoken to one of his relatives in the Azores as a child and was informed that they had historicle paintings that went back centuries, of my DaSilva family in the azores.in 1957 when my grandmother died all contact to the azores stoped.
I likewise have heard such stories. It is common for people to say they come from royal families. The truth is that just because you have a last name that is connected to royalty your ancestors might not be royal. I have found that further research is needed before any of these types of claims can be taken seriously.
This must run in the Silva family because my family has ceased contact also. Everything about my family history is a mystery to me and I am trying to trace my roots.
I came across your site while researching, once again, my family name history. My Surname is DaSilva. My father, his father and so on, are from the Island of San Miguel, Relva, to be exact, Azores. I came across a Hacitic Rabbi who told me to reasearch my name, that I would find I am a descendent of royalty. I found it amusing, but decided to give it a go. I’m not sure where I came across it on the web, but I found that my family, and quite possibly all of DaSilva in general, descend from the Prince Jose DaSilva, Jewish Prince, who was forced to denounce his religion during the Spanish Inquisition. Your site is helpful and leads me in other directions, but I believe we are on the same path. Obrigada!
Afterthought:
I also found that the surname “DaSilva” translates to “of the thorn.” I have a friend who researches geneaology and/or translations of names…
Aha! I have the paperwork in hand…and here is the site…Let me also say that My Grandfather, his mother, before him, carried the name Manuel DUARTE DaSilva (DUARTE being the key name here). He was in fact always KNOWN as DaSilva, his military records which I have, state that. His name was never changed when he entered this country (USA) in 1949. We also carry the name “DINIS” spelled as such, or as my cousins later adopted “DINIZ” on my mother’s side. She hails from the island of Terceira, Azores, Fonte do Bastardo…here is that site:
http://www.isjm.org/country/portugal.htm
My Grandpa moved to San Jose, CA in the early 1900′s. Do you know of any history in Portugal that would have caused a mass movement at the turn of the century that would have prompted the exodus? Also, I was told that anyone that did not own land was called “Silva”, …is there any theory or truth to that?
my name is abraham silva.i was born and live south texas…about ten minutes away from the mexican border. both my parents were born in cadereyta nuevo leon mexico in the 1950′s. i have tried to follow the family tree but have only gone as far back as my great grandfather whose name was fransisco silva.if anyone has any info regarding where my last name came from..make sure and post it here. thank you
Hi, my name is Dassylva and i’m from Montréal. My ancester is Pedro Dassylva that arrive in Canada in 1600… I know is father was Joseph Dassylva born around 1620 in Portugal and maried to Marie Francois. I’m searching to know more about my ancester in Portugal but i don’t know where to search (i don’t read portugese) and i want to know is there is a coat of arms for the Dassylva. Can you help me in my search? I want to create a website about my family history and i want to go as far as i can!
I would also like to know more about our ancestor, in Portugal, but I stopped looking. I am more concentrating in finding about him when he arrived in la Nouvelle France. I have researched many documents, but none that says exactly what year he came here. Would you know?
Just a clarification on the “da” part… in formal Portuguese, the “da” or “de” is considered a descriptive appendage and not part of the surname. In other words, someone addressing me would do so as Senhor Silva not Senhor da Silva. This is often common practice and possibly the reason why the “da” or “de” was dropped by many immigrants outside of Portugal.
Also, in theory, when listing names alphabetically, for the reason above, the order should be
Silva, Virgilio Martins da
but unfortunately across most of the western world the name is order as “da Silva”.
Hope you find this useful…
Hi Everyone,
I’m Eliana, Brazilian-Dutch woman born in Brazil. I have 5 surnames and they are all of Jewish origin. My hair is a typical Jewish kind of hair, my eyes, my ears and also the fact that my grandfather from my mother’s side was called Franciso Aurelio da Silva are enough evidence for me that I am Jewish. The name Eliana is also not a coincidence and without doubt one of my other names is Jacaranda a beautiful tree that you can find all over Israel. I think Jewish people are very strong and some phisical and intelectual characteristics are undeniably inherited from generation to generations. My grandfather was a goldsmith but he also told us a history that his name was changed when he arrived in Brazil so he wouldn’t be identified and discriminated as Jewish.
I believe we are all descendant of Royals as the “da” in da Silva indicates a nobel title and de tower da Silva in Portugal is a reference of the Castle and the arms of the family. It also refers to the place where you come from that were most owned by a certain nobel family. In Dutch for example van der Ley or van de Craats is the Dutch form of de. Da Silva in Dutch would be van de Sylva from French tradition to name royals.
Hope we will find out more about the origins of the names and be able to present evidences as well.
Eliana
Hi brothers and sisters,
I just found out that we can speculate even more and perhpas many of us are descendant of this very interesting Mariner who travelled around the world and perhaps had a woman in every port…:
“The 1stCount of Paço d’Arcos had a notable colonial career throughout the Portuguese Empire, having reached its pinnacle as Governor-General of Portuguese India (1881).[5] He was also Governor-General of Macao, Portuguese Timor (1876) and Mozambique (1880), as well as Portugal’s first Ambassador to Brazil (1891-1893) after the former colony abolished the monarchy and sent Emperor Pedro II of the House of Bragança into exile. This prestigious diplomatic post was fraught with difficulties as he represented to the new Brazilian republican government the reigning Portuguese House of Bragança which their ousted Emperor belonged to.[6] In his diplomatic career he was also Minister Plenipotentiary to China, Japan and the Kingdom of Siam.”
My Father was Born in Cabo Verde, Island of Boa Vista
in 1929.
Iam Proud of My Surname i wish i new more about it.
and if we still have any Family in the Island.
if anyone Knows how i could find out, i would much apreciated.
Look up Lucios Flavia Silva on wikipedia.org he is the first famous silva, he was damned out of history by a later emperor but just recently in 2005 they found his name on a tablet. Though Josephous did write about him along with Jesus as well in the “Antiques of the Jews”…. Silva is derived from Silvanus- the greek mythelogical god of nature/fertility, mostly associated with the woods and farmlands… look him up on wikipedia,, thus that is why Silva means woods… also silva is commonly found through spanish nobility,, for example Diego valasquez de silva
I am of Mexican descent with the last name Silva. Thank you all for your comments and historic information. I have always wondered where the family name came from and it’s origins.
Hello and Thank You for this wonderful posting! We are Aldretes from Tecate, Mexico. I live in Seattle, Washington, and have been doing some genealogy work on both my Aldrete and Romandia roots for years.
A quick note in regard to this posting: I will go on record that the town of Alderete in Minho province was named for the family, and not the other way around. The name Alderete originates in Asturias, and is first mentioned in 718 with the Conde de Alderedo, a local nobleman who fought alongside Pelayo in the first battles of La Reconquista. Branches of our family spread throughout Iberia in the succeeding centuries, and clearly one such branch arrived as Crusaders in northern Portugal, sometime in the late 10th or early 11th centuries.
The name Alderete, also sometimes known as Aldereguia and later as Aldrete, is almost definitely of Basque origin. The root “alde” meaning the “slope or crest of a hill/mountain”. Another possible Basque root, “alder”, refers to the “property of a household, or dowry”.
One famous Aldrete, other than the original Conde, was Bernardo del Aldrete, who wrote THE book on the origins of Castilian Spanish, printed in Rome in 1606. The book, typically in two volumes, is still in print and still used in universities and by scholars researching the Spanish language. It is called, in Spanish: “Del origen y principio de la lengua castellana”.
Regarding the possible Jewish origins of the name da Silva: although I know of no da Silvas in my family, I have Jewish heritage on my Father’s side of the family, and there is a long-standing family story of our Romandia side, from the Piacenza area of Italy, having some Jewish ancestry. It would be very interesting if my Aldrete side also had a connection there, so these postings have really fired me up to look at that aspect!
Thanks again, great blog!
-Sebastian
My paternal side of the family is from Piacenza, Italy. My ggrandfather, Pietro Silva (who married Maria Cordani) was born in 1872 in Piacenza. The family immigrated to NY and settled in the Bronx. His parents, Maria and Luigi Silva remained in Piacenza. If you can trace the family back further, that’d be great! I am unaware of any Jewish connection.
Diane Silva Hill
Sacramento, CA
Hello diane, my family is also from piacenza italy, they came after the world war 2,do you know if Luigi and maria Silva had any other children???
thank you
bye
I’m from Puerto Rico and I’m a Silva on my father’s side. My dad mentioned Andalucia, Spain as a place where his family might have come from. Any thoughts on this? Thank you for sharing this info. Very interesting.
My name is christine silva my family is from milpitas ca i have been trying to find out about my grandpa & grandma tony & claire silva they had 2 sons James & Dennis and a daughter marsh but she passed away like at the age of 6 they were ranchers if anyone knows anything about my family it would be verey helpfull.thank you for your time.christine silva.
Im curious because im tryn to find the origin of my family which are from the cap verdean island which was main slave trade island for africans. I found that a man with the same name as mine work for the west indian trading company in 1654 and his was a Portugese jewish man.. Maybe that might help you alil bit.
I also like some help on tryn to find history about the african side of the family since im from the cap verde islands and have noticed that no one has brought that subject up on here…
My gg grandfather name was Louis Silva change his last to Brier. Know I know why I can’t find my family from the Azores.Thank you Melissa
Ok people there is an island by the name of Cape Verde which is on the west coast of Africa,where the Portuguese founded and then brought slaves over. My last name is Dasilva and my aunt who was a professor in Cape Verde said Dasilva is a slave name given from the Portuguese. Silva is a popular Brazilan and Portuguese last name so the slave owners would put DA or De in front so they would know who belonged to them. Examples like Da Silva, De Pina and De Barros those are all cape verdean last names.
i quite appreciate ur efforts in researching and sharing ur information on the origin and meaning of the surname dasilva.its a great piece of information that ll most be appreciated on facebook’s DASILVA DYNASTY a union of people bearing dasilva
My father came to this country through Ellis Island in the early 1900′s prior to World War One. His name was da Silva but the people handling his documentation changed it to Silva. His marriage certificate lists his name as da Silva. I was told by him prior to his death that the name da Silva is of Portuguese origins and de Silva is of Spanish origin. He used the name Silva and never corrected the documentation.
If your name is Silva there is the strong possibility that it was either da Silva or de Silva at one time. Many Mexicans have the name Silva which is of Spanish origins not Portuguese.
Joe,
Luigi and Maria Silva had two children: Pietro (1872) and Aurelia (1880). Pietro/Peter died in 1951 in the Bronx; Aurelia died in 1978 in Brooklyn. I sure would like to trace my roots further!
I would like to add one piece of information regarding the ‘da’ and ‘de’. As was mentioned earlier, the ‘da’ or ‘de’ is technically not part of the name. It is common practices in some Latin American countries for wives to not only adopt their husband’s surnames, but to also add a ‘da’ or ‘de’ in front of it. In essence, the woman now belongs to the man. I believe the children do not add the ‘de’.
For my own experience, the name da Silva has been passed down several generations as one piece, and I write it as DaSilva. But, when I visited Brazil as an adult (I live in the US), everyone called me Senhor Silva, knowing to automatically drop the ‘da’.
Just one bit of information concerning the origin/function/purpose of the ‘da’ or ‘de’.
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My father’s family comes from Puerto Rico. My grandmother told me once that our family name was Da Silva but that it was changed at some point in time. I also found out that pretty much all of the families in Puerto Rico with the last name Silva are all related. This leads me to believe that a specific person or family with that surname settled in Puerto Rico. Any leads as to who that might would be great.
Many Portuguese were in the Spanish ranks when they occupied PR. Thus the name Silva took hold.
I am from India, my forefathers were from the coastal town of Cochin (now Kochi) which was an important portuguese colony due to spice trade. My assumption is that the portuguese traders converted people from this area to Catholicism and maybe married some of their daughters which lead to the continuum of this surname in India.
Actually in many cases they were godfathers to converts and gave them “Christian Names” such as da Silva (also the da or de should not be capitalized).
I’ve read that “da silva” (from the forest) and “da costa” (from the coast) was a surname given to the native ppl in the portuguese colonies, when they were converted into christianity and “western ways” (by force im sure).
A little bit of one name fits all kind of thing…
If anyone is interested, im a chilean Silva living in Sweden.
Hello. I have been looking for my realtives and any family history i can obtain regarding my family. My father has long past and didn’t speak much of his family. This is all i know right now, his family were dukes and duchesses in Portugal. His parents came from Portugal and settled in the Oakland area. His relatives aunts uncles etc settled on the island of Hilo and owned many hotels there. This is all i know. If you can please help me. I feel like i am missing a huge chunk of myself and have nothing to pass to my kids. Thank you so much.
Same for me…
Hi
Im looking for a roberto da silva,his mothers name was yolandie da silva and he had an uncle joe who lived in piacenza,lugagnano,if anyone has any information regards them please let me know.
I know that there was a Spanish or Portuguese general in Rome’s army agains the Jews at Masada in 72 AD. That is the earliest reference I have ever come across to the name, which can from what I have gathered mean either Forrest or Wood. Here is the info on Masada:
In 72, the Roman governor of Iudaea Lucius Flavius Silva headed the Roman legion X Fretensis and laid siege to Masada. The Roman legion surrounded Masada and built a circumvallation wall and then a siege embankment against the western face of the plateau, moving thousands of tons of stones and beaten earth to do so.
Josephus does not record any attempts by the Sicarii to counterattack the besiegers during this process, a significant difference from his accounts of other sieges against Jewish fortresses. He did record their raid before the siege on Ein-Gedi, a nearby Jewish settlement, where the Sicarii allegedly killed 700 of its inhabitants.
Some historians also believe that Romans may have used Jewish slaves to build the ramp.[citation needed] According to Dan Gill,[4] geological investigations in the early 1990s confirmed earlier observations that the 375-foot (114 m) high assault ramp consisted mostly of a natural spur of bedrock that required a ramp only 30 feet (9.1 m) high built atop it in order to reach the Masada defenses. This discovery would diminish both the scope of the construction and of the conflict between the Sicarii and Romans, relative to the popular perspective in which the ramp was an epic feat of construction.
My name is Ricardo Bernal Silva. I was born in Hong Kong. My parents were born is shanghai china .My mother last name is Danenberg .I find it interesting that I may have Jews ancestry . It seem that the name Silva is a like vessel with many ports. I was wondering based on a blood sample could a Jews connecting be verified. Anybody thoughts. At this point in my life i know my bloodline consist of Portuguese ,Chinese, Dutch now possible Jew.
Wonderful to read so much of us interested in this great name; da Silva.
I am black from portuguese descendents. One of my ancesters was Manoel Zacharias da Silva Branco. They came to Cabo Verde, sended out by the Portuguese King because of being jew in aproximitaly 1400 something. He was dieing and asked GOD to keep him alive, after this miracle he would marry a black orphan. da Silva Branco is a name that lost in time. I found some of the history of da Silva due the novel “misterios de Lisboa” by Camilo de Castelo Branco, now also as a film. I Do not think of this event consisting my blood line, just for your information and for whom it might concern.
I am curious of much information also. Have a great life and keep our family name alive!!!
Americo Tomas Nascimento Silva, from Cabo Verde Sao Vicent, nowadays The Netherlands.
How cool to come across a website devoted to the da Silva/Silva line!
A few things I have learned:
1- the surname Silva (or with de or da) is often given to orphans in Brasil because it is so common, thus many with that name in Brasil really do not have roots to it.
2- The origin of the name is latin (means woods or trees native to an area) so it most liikely did travel with the Romans to Iberia.
3- The Galicia province in NW Espana is most likely the source for both the Portuguese and Spanish lines. This makes sense on many levels as the Galician dialect of Spanish shares many traits with Portuguese. The close proximity of the two countries would explain the presence in both countries.
4- For most of antiquity Iberia was not known as two countries (three if you count Andorra) but simply as Hispania (per Roman times).
5- The Spanish and Portuguese courts often intermarried for political reasons
6- The name Silva is so common around the globe due to Portuguese and Spanish exploration and colonization.
7- There are definetly Italian Silva’s that do not tie to Iberia as it is the other way around.
I hope all of this helps
8-The overwhelming reason that Portuguese immigrated to Hawaii was as contracted laborers (entire famility, 7 year duration) for free passage to the sugar and pineapple plantations to escape the abject poverty of the Azores, Madeira and Mainland Portugal. My paternal GP’s came from Madeira and Northern Portugal for this reason. They eventually ended up in Oakland, CA. to work the mills, bridges and bakeries. Nothing romantic, just hard work as is the case for most immigration reasons
9- one sad note, is that when I’m gone so to this knowledge as my 3rd generation descendants are 1/4 Portuguese and have no desire for history lessons.
Hope all of this helps others in the Silva clan..
thanks a lot!!! and it helped even though I’m D’sylva, not Silva
Hi All this research really is amazing,
My Name is Dario Dasilva
My Fathers Birthname was Anthony Dasilva
He was Fostered in London’s Banardos Children’s Home (Orphanage)
His Mother was called Barbara DaSilva
& His Fathers Name I’m unsure of but I know that the surname Saab has a connection to us.
From what my Father Anthony Dasilva told me Barbara Dasilva was from Spain/Portugal I think their is also some Barbados roots from my GrandFathers side.
(My Dad Anthony DaSilva also known as Charlie Or Chaz Dasilva his nickname,
Anthony aka Charlie has a Long lost BROTHER called Gavin Dasilva & a sister called
Charlotte DaSilva and he also has more brothers or sisters . My Dad is desperately trying to trace his brothers & sisters if you think you are related to is or you may have some usefull information please email me >. dario _ dasilva @ me .com
My father Anthony who goes by the
Name of Charlie or Chaz went on two live with his Foster parents in Ashford Kent. He lived in Beaver Road / Beaver Lane.
His Foster parents where called Averil & Terrance known as Terry. Anthony’s Foster parents surname was “Homewood” as he was never adopted only fostered by Terry & Averil he kept his true surname “DaSilva”
He then moved to number 13 Norwood Street Ashford Kent which directly over looked a police station.
Anthony Dasilva then got engaged to my mum Diane Denise Oakley, her maiden name before she married my father & became Diane Denise DaSilva.
Anthony & Diane then went on to have their 1st child of two sons Dario Shane Dasilva . “That’s Me. I was born in 1988.
Then 8 years later they had their second child Nathan Carl Dasilva in 1996.
Anthony DaSilva Born : 1st October 1966
Diane DaSilva. Born : 21 November 1971
Dario DaSilva. Born :28 September 1988
Nathan Dasilva. Born : 5th September 1996
Simply looking at the history of Sri Lanka – you can see the time when it was under the Portuguese. The first captain is Joao da Silveira… It would make sense that he took local women and their offspring would have been named after him.
This might be a simple starting point? HIstory of this man, and if he took in local women – surnames often become simplified or altered. This may have been intentional. It may have just occurred because the people found it easier to pronounce? It may have also been a name given to people as a certain status, after the captain arrived? It would be interesting to see the documents relevant to this man…
I don’t know about you, but as soon as I found that – and he was the first captain, I thought – highly plausible. From there it would be about researching his line back.
I don’t know much but heard some few things. One is my last name was changed to straight Silva from DaSilva when they arrived to the Americas. I believe many were escaping from the Inquisition and maybe even earlier persecutions for converting to Judaism. I don’t believe they were converts though. I believe they were attempting to return the Lord.(Jehovah).(Jesus Christ Lord and Saviour). Jose DaSilva was burned at the stake for this thing. I believe also that name is Latin for “of the forest” . See Silvanus in Acts 15 and a couple of other places. There may be clues in the Bible. There was also a city in Israel named Kiriath-Jearim meaning “city of woods”. I think this is very interesting. Psalm 90
-Carlos B. (DaSilva) Silva