indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Meaning & History
from the Middle English personal name Selewin (Old English Selewine perhaps from sele "manor" or sǣl "happiness prosperity" and wine "friend"). of Norman origin perhaps from the Middle English and Old French personal name Selvein Silvein (from Latin Silvanus an adjective from silva "forest") with vocalization of /v/ to /w/ possibly through influence of the name above. In Anglo-Norman usage both Selvein and Silvester were sometimes Latinized as Salvagius "wild savage" (see Sylvester and Savage ) though whether the vernacular surnames were ever interchangeable is a question for further research.