Sybile
A feminine name derived from the Greek word "sybilla," meaning prophetess or oracle.
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Sybile. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sybile today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sybile births was 1943 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sybile. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Sybile is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Sybiles were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sybile. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1943
9 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1943 SSA rank
#3,462
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Sybile: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sybile from the 1920s through to the 1940s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 24 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1930s peak, Sybile remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sybile 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 Sybile during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sybile
The name Sybile finds its origins in Greek mythology and culture. It is derived from the ancient Greek word "Sibyl," which referred to a woman with prophetic powers or a prophetess in classical antiquity. The Sibyls were known for their ability to utter inspired prophecies and divine revelations.
In ancient Greek legend, the most famous Sibyl was the Cumaean Sibyl, who lived in the city of Cumae near Naples in Italy. She is said to have offered to sell nine books containing her prophecies to the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus. When he refused to pay her price, she burned three of the books. After repeating this twice, he finally agreed to purchase the remaining three at the original price for all nine.
The name Sybile gained popularity in Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in France and England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was Sybile of Jerusalem, a Crusader princess who lived in the 12th century. She was the daughter of King Amalric I of Jerusalem and married Guy of Lusignan, who later became King of Jerusalem.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Sybille of Burgundy (1094-1147), a French noblewoman who was the wife of King Louis VI of France. She played a significant role in the politics and governance of the kingdom during her husband's reign.
In literature, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Sybil Vane, a character in Oscar Wilde's novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (1890). She was an actress and Dorian Gray's first love interest, whose tragic fate serves as a catalyst for his descent into moral corruption.
In the realm of art, Sybil Mertens (1888-1919) was a Belgian painter known for her portraits and still life works. Her paintings are notable for their bold use of color and expressive brushwork.
Another prominent figure was Sybil Hess (1876-1949), an American social worker and advocate for the rights of immigrants and the poor. She founded the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, which provided social services and educational programs to the underprivileged communities of the Lower East Side.
People
Sybile + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sybile 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
Sybile: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sybile?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sybile 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Sybile a common name?
We classify Sybile as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 51 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sybile most popular?
The single biggest year for Sybile was 1943, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sybile is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sybile a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sybile in the SSA data are female. 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.