Silvestre
A surname from the Latin saint-name meaning “of the woods” or “wild/forest-dwelling.”
The #9,190 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 86,971 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Silvestre comes from the Latin personal name Silvester or Silvestris, built from silva, meaning “wood” or “forest.” The name originally meant something like “forest dweller” or “of the woods,” and it became popular through the fame of Saint Sylvester. In surname use, it is often a French form or spelling of the same saint-name.
History
The name appears in medieval English records in forms such as Silvestre, showing that it was used in Britain as a hereditary surname by the 13th century. It is also well established in French and other Romance-language traditions, where it reflects the saint-name rather than a descriptive nickname. Modern bearers may descend from French, English, or other European lines that adopted this Christian personal name as a surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The root silva is the same Latin word that gave English words like “silvan” and “sylvan,” both linked to woods or forests.
From the historical record
“The form in the 13th - cent. Hundred- Rolls was usually Silvestre. SIM, a dim. of Simon, Simeon, q.v. Thomas Symme. — Yorks Poll-Tax, A.D. 1379.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Silvestre
- Mikaël Silvestre (b. 1977)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.