Explore the Family Name Silas

The meaning of Silas

1. English: from the personal name Silas, from Latin Silvanus (see Silvano). 2. Americanized form of Hungarian Szilas: from the old personal name Szilas, or from a pet form of the personal names Szilveszter or Szilvánusz (see Sylvester, Silvano).

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Silas in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Silas" has seen an increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 7,399 and by 2010, it rose to a rank of 7,080, which represents a growth of approximately 4.31%. The number of people with this surname also increased from 4,153 in 2000 to 4,729 in 2010, demonstrating a significant rise of nearly 13.87%. As for the proportion per 100,000 people, there was also an increase from 1.54 in 2000 to 1.6 in 2010, marking a 3.9% change.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#7,399	#7,080	4.31%
Count	4,153	4,729	13.87%
Proportion per 100k	1.54	1.6	3.9%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Silas

Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data indicates that the largest ethnic identity associated with the surname "Silas" is Black, although its share decreased from 60.58% in 2000 to 56.35% in 2010. The White and Hispanic ethnic identities saw increases of 7.03% and 26.61% respectively during the same period. There was also an increase in the Asian/Pacific Islander category (from 1.23% to 2.11%) as well as in the Two or More Races category (from 2.31% to 2.85%). The American Indian and Alaskan Native group experienced a slight increase from 9.27% in 2000 to 9.56% in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	60.58%	56.35%	-6.98%
White	23.33%	24.97%	7.03%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	9.27%	9.56%	3.13%
Hispanic	3.27%	4.14%	26.61%
Two or More Races	2.31%	2.85%	23.38%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.23%	2.11%	71.54%