boy's name
Sylvester
sil-VES-tur
- Origin Latin
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 44,389
Ireland
#311
1992 births
Sylvester means of the woods, and a pope carried it into the calendar — Sylvester I died on 31 December, which is why New Year's Eve is still called Silvester across much of Europe.
- Sylvester is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1920, when 819 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 51,803 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Sylvester 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.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 796 |
| 1890s | 990 |
| 1900s | 1,411 |
| 1910s | 5,542 |
| 1920s | 7,028 |
| 1930s | 5,233 |
| 1940s | 5,405 |
| 1950s | 6,230 |
| 1960s | 3,869 |
| 1970s | 2,312 |
| 1980s | 2,024 |
| 1990s | 1,212 |
| 2000s | 735 |
| 2010s | 677 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 393 |
What Sylvester means
Sylvester means of the forest, or wooded. The Latin silva names woodland, so the name places someone in the wild rather than describing their character.
Where Sylvester comes from
Sylvester is the Latin silvester, of the woods, from silva, a forest — the root of sylvan and of Pennsylvania, Penn's woods. Sylvester I was pope during Constantine's reign and died on the last day of 331, so his feast falls on 31 December; German, Polish, Italian and half a dozen other languages still call New Year's Eve Silvester. Sylviane, elsewhere on this site, carries the same root.
Sylvester in use
Sylvester peaked in the United States in 1920, when 819 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 2211th in the United States on 64 births and 2760th in England and Wales on 8, across 44,389 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. England and Wales ran its own peak of 20 births in 2021, and our records carry the name from 1880.
How popular is Sylvester?
In 2025, Sylvester was given to 64 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Sylvester is used
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 Sylvester
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Sylvester also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Sylvester over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Sylvester
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Sylvester in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Sylvester
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Sylvester — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Sylvester
What does the name Sylvester mean?
Of the woods — the Latin silva, a forest.
Why is New Year's Eve called Silvester?
Pope Sylvester I died on 31 December, so his feast falls there.
Is Pennsylvania related?
Yes — Penn's woods, from the same silva.
How popular is Sylvester?
2211th in the United States, and stable rather than falling in our data.
Is Sylvester a girl's or a boy's name?
Sylvester is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Sylvester?
Sylvester has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Sylvester?
Sylvester is usually shortened to Sly.
Is Sylvester a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Sylvester currently ranks #2,017 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.