Why not Brazil? Da Silva is a Jewish name, sefardist from Portugal.
"es, Silva is a recognized Sephardic Jewish surname. It originated as a habitatio...
Why not Brazil? Da Silva is a Jewish name, sefardist from Portugal.
"es, Silva is a recognized Sephardic Jewish surname. It originated as a habitational name from places in Portugal and Galicia (Spain), or as a topographic name derived from the Latin silva, meaning "wood" or "bramble."
During the Iberian Inquisition in the late 15th century, many Sephardic Jews were forcibly converted to Catholicism and adopted existing Iberian surnames like Silva to conceal their heritage. Some descendants of these conversos later returned to Judaism, often retaining the surnames their families had used during their period of Catholic practice. Historical records, including those from the Holy Office of the Catholic Church of Spain, have identified Silva as a surname associated with Sephardic families."