Sisto
Derived from the Latin name Sextus, meaning "sixth-born son".
Name Census estimates that about 194 living Americans carry the first name Sisto. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sisto today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sisto births was 1935 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sisto. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
194
~ 1 in 1,766,775 Americans
Peak year
1935
15 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
2008 SSA rank
#12,335
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Sisto: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sisto from the 1910s through to the 2000s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 85 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sisto by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sisto during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sistos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Sisto
The name Sisto originates from the Latin language and can be traced back to ancient Roman times. It is derived from the Latin word "sextus," which means "sixth" or "the sixth one." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to a sixth-born son in a family.
Sisto was a relatively common name among the ancient Romans, particularly during the Roman Republic and Empire periods. It was borne by several notable historical figures, including Pope Sisto IV, whose birth name was Francesco della Rovere. He was pontiff from 1471 to 1484 and is remembered for his patronage of the arts, including commissioning the Sistine Chapel, which bears his name.
Another famous bearer of the name Sisto was Sisto V, born Felice Peretti in 1521. He served as Pope from 1585 to 1590 and is known for his ambitious building projects in Rome, such as the reconstruction of the Vatican Library and the completion of the famous St. Peter's Basilica.
In the 16th century, Sisto da Barga, an Italian painter and architect, was active in Florence and is best known for his work on the church of San Lorenzo in that city. He lived from approximately 1495 to 1570.
Moving forward in history, Sisto Badalocchio (1585-1647) was an Italian painter and printmaker who worked in Rome during the Baroque period. His works can be found in various churches and galleries throughout Italy.
Another notable figure named Sisto was Sisto Riario Sforza (1810-1877), an Italian cardinal and diplomat who served as the Archbishop of Naples during the mid-19th century.
While the name Sisto has its roots in ancient Rome, it has maintained a presence throughout various eras and regions, particularly in Italy, where it has been associated with several influential individuals in the realms of religion, art, and politics.
People
Sisto + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sisto as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sisto: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sisto?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 194 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sisto going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,766,775 US residents.
Is Sisto a common name?
We classify Sisto as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 406 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sisto most popular?
The single biggest year for Sisto was 1935, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sisto is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sisto a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sisto in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.