Silvas
A rare surname likely linked to the personal name Silvester, with a Manx place-name example suggesting a later shortened or altered form.
The #6,798 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,209 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The best-supported explanation is that Silvas is connected with the name Silvester, ultimately from Latin silva, meaning "wood" or "forest." In the Manx place-name cited by Moore, Gob-ny-Silvas is interpreted as "Silvester's Point," suggesting that Silvas may be a reduced or corrupted form of Silvester rather than a separate inherited surname. Because the evidence is indirect, the surname should be treated as a likely surname-formation from a personal name rather than a fully secure derivation.
History
The historical evidence provided is very limited and comes from a Manx place-name rather than a clear surname entry. The form appears in Moore as an apparent local corruption of Silvester, which is consistent with the way surnames and place-names often shortened or shifted in spelling in Manx and other Celtic-language settings. In modern usage, Silvas is uncommon and may also reflect independent spelling variation in families whose name was originally Silva or Silvester.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Moore specifically glossed a Manx place-name containing Silvas as meaning "Silvester's Point," showing how a surname-like form can survive inside local geography even when the family name itself is rare.
From the historical record
“Ballawill, ' Will's Farm ;' Lhergy-clagh-Willy, ' Willy's Stone Slope ;' Gob-ny-Silvas (E), ' Sil- vester's Point,' where Silvas appears to be a corruption of Silvester. Ballavarkys is possibly ' Mark's Farm,' Markys being the Manx for Mark. Johneoies, the name of a”
— The Surnames & Place-Names of the Isle of Man