Silverman
An anglicized Jewish surname, originally from the German Silbermann, meaning “silver man.”
The #2,463 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,095 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally understood as an anglicized form of the German name Silbermann. The root Silber means “silver,” and -mann means “man,” so the literal sense is “silver man.” In surname use, it is usually taken as a Jewish occupational or ornamental surname formed in German-speaking Europe and later adapted into English spelling.
History
Harrison explicitly treats Silverman as an Anglicization of German Silbermann. The name became established in English-speaking countries through immigration, especially among Jewish families from German- and later East European backgrounds. It is now well known in the United States and other diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name is part of a broader pattern of German surnames ending in -mann that were often simplified or respelled when families moved into English-speaking countries.
From the historical record
“hair] SILVERMAN, an Anglicization of the Ger. SlLBERMANN, q.v. in the Appendix of Foreign names. SILVERSIDE (Eng.) Bel. to Silverside; or Dweller at the White (Hill-) Side [Dial. E. silver, white ; O.E. seolfor, silver + E. side, O.E. side"]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)