[Brian Pfleuger]

You're right, in the sense that Maxim named his device "silencer" but in the modern world both terms are equally correct.

Just about the ONLY incorrect statement would be that it's NOT a "suppressor" or NOT a "silencer".

Both are correct.

I like the term silencer better. To me, "suppressor" sounds all tacti-cool, operator-wanna-be, mall-ninja.

Possibly, it's because it's usually those types who try to argue that it's "not a silencer".