Save Type Surname (from location) Usage Portuguese, Spanish Pronounced Pron. SEEL-vu(European Portuguese) SEEW-vu(Brazilian Portuguese) SEEL-ba(Spanish) [key·IPA] Meaning & History From Spanish or Portuguese silva meaning "forest". This is the most common surname in Portugal and Brazil. Related NamesDetails VariantSilveira(Portuguese) Categories folk heroes, footballers, H. P. Lovecraft characters, isograms, mixed martial artists, plants, trees, Virtua Tennis opponent characters