boy's name

Sylvan

  • Gender Boy
  • Syllables 2
  • Letters 6
  • Popularity Uncommon
  • Births on record 4,010

Scotland

#812

2023 births

Sylvan is a boy's name with 2 syllables. In 2025 it was given to 111 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

  • Peaked in 2025, when 111 babies were given the name.
  • It has been rising over the past decade.
  • Today about 1 in 29,869 babies in the United States is given this name.
  • First appears in US birth records in 1886.
  • 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.

Sylvan over time

Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.

660
'80 '90 '00 '10 '20 '30 '40 '50 '60 '70 '80 '90 '00 '10 '20
Show the numbers
Births named Sylvan by decade in the United States
Decade Births
1880s 12
1890s 39
1900s 77
1910s 585
1920s 660
1930s 391
1940s 278
1950s 178
1960s 108
1970s 105
1980s 127
1990s 138
2000s 252
2010s 354
2020s (to 2025) 509

How popular is Sylvan?

In 2025, Sylvan was given to 111 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Where Sylvan is used

Scotland #812 3 in 2023
United States #1,673 111 in 2025
Canada #2,723 7 in 2024
England & Wales #3,118 7 in 2025
France #5,644 5 in 2010

The bar shows how near the top of each country's list the name sits, on a scale where #1 fills the row and #1,000 is a sliver. The figures beside it are the real rank and the babies recorded that year.

US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.

Names that peaked alongside Sylvan

These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.

Parents who like Sylvan also like

Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Sylvan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.

Sibling names for Sylvan

Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Sylvan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.

Common questions about Sylvan

How popular is the name Sylvan?

In 2025, Sylvan was given to 111 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.

Is Sylvan a girl's or a boy's name?

Sylvan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.

How many syllables are in Sylvan?

Sylvan has 2 syllables.

When was Sylvan most popular?

Sylvan peaked in 2025, when 111 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.

Is Sylvan a good name?

That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Sylvan currently ranks #1,673 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.