Sylvia
From the Latin word for forest, meaning wooded or from the woodland.
Name Census estimates that about 116,336 living Americans carry the first name Sylvia. It sits at #361 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sylvia today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sylvia births was 1937 (4,389 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sylvia. 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
- • Although Sylvia is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 908 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
116K
~ 1 in 2,946 Americans
Peak year
1937
4,389 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1992 SSA rank
#361
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Sylvia
Out of the 244,949 babies given the name Sylvia since 1880, 99.6% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Sylvia as a male name
- Ranked #9,641 in 1992
- 5 male births in 1992
- Peak: 1936 (24 births)
Sylvia as a female name
- Ranked #361 in 2024
- 863 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1937 (4,371 births)
Popularity
Sylvia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sylvia from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 39,656 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sylvia 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 Sylvia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Sylvias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. Texas, New York, California recorded the most babies named Sylvia, while Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 4,544 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sylvia
The name Sylvia originates from the Latin word "silvaticus" or "silva" meaning "forest" or "woodland." It is believed to have first emerged as a name in ancient Rome. The name was quite popular during the Roman era and was often associated with the Roman goddess of forests and fields, Diana.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Sylvia can be found in the works of the Roman poet Virgil, who wrote the epic poem "Eclogues" in the 1st century BC. In this work, the name Sylvia is given to a fictional character who is depicted as a beautiful and pure nymph living in the woods.
Another notable historical figure with the name Sylvia was Saint Sylvia, a 6th-century Christian martyr who was born in Aquitaine, France. She was known for her charitable works and her dedication to helping the poor and needy.
During the Renaissance period, the name Sylvia gained popularity in Italy, particularly among the literary circles. One famous bearer of the name was Sylvia Piccolomini (1522-1598), an Italian noblewoman and patron of the arts, who was known for her patronage of the poet Torquato Tasso.
In the 17th century, the name Sylvia was also popular in England. One notable figure was Sylvia Soame (1631-1696), an English writer and translator who is remembered for her translations of French and Spanish works.
Another notable Sylvia in history was Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), an American poet and novelist who is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Her semi-autobiographical novel "The Bell Jar" and her collection of poems "Ariel" are considered masterpieces of confessional poetry.
Sylvia Earle (born 1935) is an American oceanographer and explorer who is renowned for her pioneering work in deep-sea exploration and ocean conservation. She was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and has led numerous expeditions to study marine ecosystems.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Sylvia
People
Sylvia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sylvia 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
Sylvia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sylvia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 116,336 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sylvia 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 2,946 US residents.
Is Sylvia a common name?
We classify Sylvia as "Common". It ranks above 99.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 244,949 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sylvia most popular?
The single biggest year for Sylvia was 1937, when 4,389 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sylvia is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sylvia a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Sylvia 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.