Silas (name) The Latin name "Silvanus" may be derived from pre-Roman Italian languages. Silas (name) Silas is a common given name and a lesser-known surname. It is a cognate of Silvanus. Silas as a name today comes from the early Christian disciple Silas. He is consistently called "Silas" in Acts, but the Latin Silvanus, which means "of the forest," is always used by Paul and in the First Epistle of Peter; it is likely that "Silvanus" is the Romanized version of the original "Silas," or that "Silas" is the Greek nickname for "Silvanus." It has been suggested that Silas is the Greek
Alston (name) of arms containing the stars may have been taken as a variant of the coat of arms of the De Veres (Earls of Oxford) who were one of the most powerful post Norman East Anglian families and associated with early East Anglian Alstons. People with the name include: Alston (name) Alston is an English language surname of Anglo-Saxon origin with several derivations. It may have evolved from the Middle English given name "Alstan", the prefix, "Al-" itself derived from different Old English words ("noble", "elf", "old", "shrine", "temple"), and the suffix "-stan" ("stone") derived from pre 7th century Old English.