Explore the Family Name Silver
The meaning of Silver
1. English: nickname from Middle English silver(e) ‘silver’, for someone with silver-colored hair, a rich man, or a silversmith. 2. English: habitational name from Monksilver in Somerset, or one or more other places called with Old English seolfor ‘silver’, especially when referring to the appearance of a stream. 3. Americanized form (translation into English) of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Silber. 4. Native American (Navajo): translation into English of a Navajo personal name based on the term béésh łigaii ‘silver’ used as a metonymic occupational name for a silversmith (see Peshlakai). Compare Silversmith. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Hyman, Meyer, Emanuel, Myer, Hymen, Isadore, Yetta, Avrum, Dorit, Dov.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Silver in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Silver" slightly decreased from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, it was the 1489th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had slipped to the 1632nd spot, a drop of 9.6%. However, there was a slight increase in the number of people with this surname during the same period. The count rose from 21,956 in 2000 to 22,052 in 2010, representing a growth of 0.44%. Similarly, the proportion per 100,000 people bearing the surname "Silver" saw a decline from 8.14 to 7.48, indicating a decrease of 8.11%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,489 | #1,632 | -9.6% |
| Count | 21,956 | 22,052 | 0.44% |
| Proportion per 100k | 8.14 | 7.48 | -8.11% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Silver
Referring to the ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census, we find that the majority of individuals with the surname "Silver" identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, although this percentage dropped slightly from 82.60% to 80.33%. Those identifying as Black or African American formed the second largest group, increasing from 10.73% to 11.89%. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic showed a moderate increase from 2.63% to 3.10%. Asian/Pacific Islander also saw an increase, going up from 0.63% to 0.84%. Those reporting two or more races increased from 1.55% to 1.89%, while the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native remained relatively stable, inching up from 1.85% to 1.95%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 82.6% | 80.33% | -2.75% |
| Black | 10.73% | 11.89% | 10.81% |
| Hispanic | 2.63% | 3.1% | 17.87% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.85% | 1.95% | 5.41% |
| Two or More Races | 1.55% | 1.89% | 21.94% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.63% | 0.84% | 33.33% |
Silver ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Silver is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 37.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (29.0%) and French & German (14.5%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Scandinavian, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 37.2% |
| British & Irish | 29.0% |
| French & German | 14.5% |
| Other | 19.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Silver
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Silver have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 57.10% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 57.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 56.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 56.80% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 56.50% |
What Silver haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Silver is J-CTS5368, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup J-CTS5368 is descended from haplogroup J-M304. Other common haplogroups include E-L791 and E-L29, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Gold, Schwartz, Rosenberg, Goldberg, Friedman, Feldman, Berger, Weiss, Berman, Stein.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Silver surname are: K1a1b1a, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins J-M304
Your paternal lineage may be linked to men who spread the Semitic languages
Men carrying the J-M267 lineage took part in many waves of migrations over the millennia, and domesticated animals and plants weren't the only things they carried. They may also have been among the communities that spread the Semitic languages, a diverse group that bloomed from a single proto-Semitic tongue in the Levant nearly 5,750 years ago. These men likely carried branches of both haplogroup J and of the Semitic language family through the Arabian Peninsula to the Horn of Africa. Still later, some J-M267-bearing men re-expanded from the Arabian Peninsula back through the Middle East and across North Africa in migrations associated with the emergence and spread of Islam.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Silver have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Silver" Surname 46.5%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Silver" Surname 18.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Silver" Surname 15.9%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Silver" Surname 15.6%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Silver?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Silver are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition