Girl nameCurrently #361 in the USSteady
Sylvia
SIL-vee-uh//ˈsɪlviə//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19376 lettersStarts with S
Meaning & origin
Of the forest
Sylvia comes from the Latin 'silva', meaning forest or woodland, and in Roman legend belonged to the mother of Romulus and Remus. Its literary weight is deepened by association with poet Sylvia Plath, and it has a quiet, woodsy elegance.
Sylvia's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Sylvia |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 81 |
| 1881 | 67 |
| 1882 | 79 |
| 1883 | 79 |
| 1884 | 87 |
| 1885 | 112 |
| 1886 | 137 |
| 1887 | 135 |
| 1888 | 166 |
| 1889 | 166 |
| 1890 | 223 |
| 1891 | 218 |
| 1892 | 275 |
| 1893 | 286 |
| 1894 | 288 |
| 1895 | 276 |
| 1896 | 340 |
| 1897 | 357 |
| 1898 | 391 |
| 1899 | 371 |
| 1900 | 446 |
| 1901 | 390 |
| 1902 | 411 |
| 1903 | 464 |
| 1904 | 497 |
| 1905 | 528 |
| 1906 | 622 |
| 1907 | 617 |
| 1908 | 748 |
| 1909 | 847 |
| 1910 | 1,000 |
| 1911 | 1,184 |
| 1912 | 1,648 |
| 1913 | 2,022 |
| 1914 | 2,578 |
| 1915 | 3,292 |
| 1916 | 3,422 |
| 1917 | 3,481 |
| 1918 | 3,683 |
| 1919 | 3,419 |
| 1920 | 3,322 |
| 1921 | 3,315 |
| 1922 | 2,968 |
| 1923 | 2,852 |
| 1924 | 2,764 |
| 1925 | 2,554 |
| 1926 | 2,544 |
| 1927 | 2,356 |
| 1928 | 2,237 |
| 1929 | 2,053 |
| 1930 | 1,841 |
| 1931 | 1,939 |
| 1932 | 2,584 |
| 1933 | 2,948 |
| 1934 | 3,491 |
| 1935 | 3,639 |
| 1936 | 4,180 |
| 1937 | 4,389 |
| 1938 | 4,271 |
| 1939 | 3,892 |
| 1940 | 3,822 |
| 1941 | 3,804 |
| 1942 | 3,735 |
| 1943 | 3,641 |
| 1944 | 3,306 |
| 1945 | 3,386 |
| 1946 | 4,106 |
| 1947 | 4,116 |
| 1948 | 3,680 |
| 1949 | 3,825 |
| 1950 | 3,622 |
| 1951 | 3,787 |
| 1952 | 3,797 |
| 1953 | 3,819 |
| 1954 | 4,093 |
| 1955 | 4,015 |
| 1956 | 4,154 |
| 1957 | 4,330 |
| 1958 | 4,168 |
| 1959 | 3,871 |
| 1960 | 3,835 |
| 1961 | 3,773 |
| 1962 | 3,478 |
| 1963 | 3,293 |
| 1964 | 2,955 |
| 1965 | 2,973 |
| 1966 | 2,416 |
| 1967 | 2,225 |
| 1968 | 1,974 |
| 1969 | 1,826 |
| 1970 | 1,738 |
| 1971 | 1,588 |
| 1972 | 1,470 |
| 1973 | 1,347 |
| 1974 | 1,362 |
| 1975 | 1,152 |
| 1976 | 1,062 |
| 1977 | 990 |
| 1978 | 954 |
| 1979 | 1,021 |
| 1980 | 969 |
| 1981 | 1,014 |
| 1982 | 991 |
| 1983 | 1,044 |
| 1984 | 1,017 |
| 1985 | 938 |
| 1986 | 886 |
| 1987 | 871 |
| 1988 | 864 |
| 1989 | 807 |
| 1990 | 823 |
| 1991 | 831 |
| 1992 | 716 |
| 1993 | 685 |
| 1994 | 593 |
| 1995 | 589 |
| 1996 | 553 |
| 1997 | 518 |
| 1998 | 553 |
| 1999 | 539 |
| 2000 | 542 |
| 2001 | 519 |
| 2002 | 535 |
| 2003 | 504 |
| 2004 | 513 |
| 2005 | 547 |
| 2006 | 581 |
| 2007 | 588 |
| 2008 | 556 |
| 2009 | 555 |
| 2010 | 525 |
| 2011 | 531 |
| 2012 | 578 |
| 2013 | 594 |
| 2014 | 636 |
| 2015 | 662 |
| 2016 | 621 |
| 2017 | 646 |
| 2018 | 633 |
| 2019 | 616 |
| 2020 | 605 |
| 2021 | 673 |
| 2022 | 720 |
| 2023 | 724 |
| 2024 | 863 |
Sylvia through the decades
- Sylvia peaked in 1937, when 4,389 babies were named Sylvia in the US.
- The 1950s were Sylvia's strongest decade, averaging 3,966 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Sylvia has risen 19% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Sylvia currently ranks #361 in the US and is holding steady.
Nicknames
Syl
Variants & spellings
Silvia
Famous people named Sylvia
- Sylvia Plath — poet