2000
#1,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,445
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.84
Uncommon Last name
Sylvester
From a Latin-derived word meaning "of the forest" or "wild," likely referring to an ancestor who lived near a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,663 Americans carry the last name Sylvester. That puts it at #1,952 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sylvester surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sylvester with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,588
Census rank
#1,952
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,019 bearers of the surname Sylvester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1952nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sylvester, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sylvester
The surname Sylvester originated in Italy and is derived from the Latin name "Silvester", which translates to "of the woods" or "forest dweller". It is believed to have first emerged as a surname in the region of Lazio, Italy, during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sylvester can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, a landowner named Silvester is mentioned as holding lands in Gloucestershire.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Sylvester was commonly found in various European regions, including Italy, France, and Germany. One notable individual bearing this surname was Pope Sylvester II, born Gerbert d'Aurillac in around 946 AD, who served as Pope from 999 to 1003 AD. He was a renowned scholar and is credited with introducing Arabic numerals to Europe.
In the 16th century, the surname Sylvester gained prominence in England, where it was often associated with families from the county of Warwickshire. One prominent figure from this era was Joshua Sylvester, an English poet and translator born in 1563, who is best known for his translations of works by French poets such as Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas.
Another notable individual with the surname Sylvester was James Joseph Sylvester, an English mathematician born in 1814. He made significant contributions to the fields of matrix theory, invariant theory, and the development of mathematical notation. Sylvester served as a professor at various prestigious institutions, including the University of Virginia and Johns Hopkins University.
In the 19th century, the surname Sylvester was also found among notable figures in the United States. One such individual was Richard Sylvester, an American chemist and inventor born in 1828. He is credited with the invention of the Sylvester Process, a method for the industrial production of metallic sodium.
Throughout history, the surname Sylvester has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Sylvester, Georgia, a town in Worth County, and Sylvester Township in Green Lake County, Wisconsin. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the Sylvester surname who settled in or were associated with those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sylvester
Among Census respondents with the surname Sylvester, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sylvester bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sylvester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.2% · 12,463
- Black or African American20.9% · 3,770
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 718
- Two or more races4.0% · 713
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 211
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 144
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sylvester
Sylvester appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,901
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,896
+451 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 6.41
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#1,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,019
-877 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 6.03
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,784 | 18,445 | 6.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,901 | 18,896 | 6.41 | +451 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #1,952 | 18,019 | 6.03 | -877 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 51 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sylvester surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,901 | #1,952 | -2.7% |
| Count | 18,896 | 18,019 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.41 | 6.03 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sylvester bearers went from 18,896 to 18,019 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,901 to #1,952.
FAQ
Sylvester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sylvester?
Name Census estimates that about 20,663 living Americans carry the surname Sylvester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,588 residents.
How common is Sylvester?
Sylvester ranks #1,952 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,019 people with the surname Sylvester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,663), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Sylvester.
Has Sylvester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sylvester went from 18,896 recorded bearers to 18,019. That is a decrease of 877 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,901 to #1,952.
What does the Census say about the background of Sylvester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sylvester, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.2%. The next largest groups are Black (20.9%) and Hispanic (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sylvester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.2% (12,463 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sylvester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.2%), Black (20.9%), Hispanic (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sylvester (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sylvester mean?
From a Latin-derived word meaning "of the forest" or "wild," likely referring to an ancestor who lived near a forest. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sylvester (6.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Sylvester?
See how many Americans have the surname Sylvester on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.