Frequency: (212)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
southern Italian: from the personal name Silvio (Latin Silvius, a derivative of silva ‘wood’), a masculine form of the more common female name Silvia.
GIVEN NAMES: Italian 15%. Angelo (2), Antimo, Carlo, Ciro, Gaspare, Salvatore.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
