Sylvin
Sylvin is a feminine name of Latin origin meaning "from the woods".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Sylvin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sylvin today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sylvin births was 1917 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sylvin. 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 Sylvin is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Sylvins were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sylvin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1917
8 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1930 SSA rank
#3,955
Tracked since 1917
Census
Sylvin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 103 people with the first name Sylvin, which placed it at #53,018 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#53,018
National first-name rank
People counted
103
103 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
39.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sylvin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sylvin is White at 39.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.8%) and Hispanic (9.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sylvin described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Sylvin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White39.8% · 41
- Black or African American38.8% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino9.7% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.8% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.9% · 4
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Popularity
Sylvin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sylvin from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 29 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
Sylvin 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 Sylvin 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 Sylvin
The name Sylvin is a rare and unique given name with a rich history and etymology. It is believed to have originated in the ancient Germanic languages, particularly in the Old Norse and Old English dialects. The name is derived from the Proto-Germanic root "sulwi," which means "yellow" or "golden." This root is also found in the Old English word "seolfor," meaning "silver."
In the early medieval period, the name was primarily used in Scandinavian regions and parts of what is now known as England. It was likely given to children born with golden or fair hair, as physical traits were often incorporated into names during that time. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 9th century, when it appeared in old Norse sagas and Viking chronicles.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Sylvin was a Viking warrior and explorer from Norway, born around 890 AD. He is said to have accompanied Erik the Red on his expeditions to Greenland and is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas as a skilled navigator and seafarer.
In the 11th century, a monk named Sylvin is recorded as having lived and worked in a monastery in the kingdom of Wessex, in what is now southern England. He is believed to have been a skilled calligrapher and illuminator of manuscripts, and his work is said to have influenced the artistic styles of the time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Sylvin was also used in parts of continental Europe, particularly in Germanic regions. A notable bearer of the name was Sylvin von Hagen, a German knight who fought in the Crusades in the 12th century. He is mentioned in contemporary chronicles for his bravery and valor on the battlefield.
In the 16th century, a Dutch scholar and philosopher named Sylvin Erasmus gained recognition for his work on humanism and his advocacy for religious tolerance. He is considered one of the leading intellectuals of the Northern Renaissance and had a significant influence on the cultural and intellectual movements of his time.
Another notable figure was Sylvin Brewster, an English colonist who arrived in America in the early 17th century. He was one of the first settlers of the Plymouth Colony and is recorded as having played a important role in the establishment of the new settlement and its relations with the Native American tribes.
Throughout history, the name Sylvin has remained relatively uncommon, but its unique and melodic sound has endured. While the name's origins lie in the ancient Germanic languages, its meaning and associations with golden hues and fair complexion have given it a timeless quality that has transcended cultures and eras.
People
Sylvin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sylvin 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
Sylvin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sylvin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sylvin 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Sylvin a common name?
We classify Sylvin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% 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 Sylvin most popular?
The single biggest year for Sylvin was 1917, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sylvin is about 76 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Sylvin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 103 people with the name Sylvin, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,018 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Sylvin in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Sylvin?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Sylvin leans strongly male. 83 people counted with this name were male (82.2%), compared with 18 female bearers (17.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Sylvin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Sylvin is White at 39.8%. The next largest groups are Black (38.8%) and Hispanic (9.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Sylvin most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Sylvin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 39.8% (41 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sylvin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sylvin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sylvin 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.
Is Sylvin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sylvin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sylvin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How common is the name Sylvin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Sylvin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.