girl's name
Sylvia
SIL-vee-uh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 271,645
the United States
#300
2025 births
Sylvia is a girl's name from the Latin for a forest, and the mother of Rome's founders bore it — Rhea Silvia, who was made a Vestal Virgin so she could not produce heirs. Our data marks it reviving at 300th in the United States.
- Sylvia is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1937, when 4,389 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1930s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 3,260 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Sylvia 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 | 1,109 |
| 1890s | 3,025 |
| 1900s | 5,570 |
| 1910s | 25,729 |
| 1920s | 26,965 |
| 1930s | 33,175 |
| 1940s | 37,422 |
| 1950s | 39,656 |
| 1960s | 28,750 |
| 1970s | 12,682 |
| 1980s | 9,401 |
| 1990s | 6,400 |
| 2000s | 5,440 |
| 2010s | 6,046 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,608 |
What Sylvia means
Sylvia means of the forest, or woman of the woods. The Latin word names woodland itself, so the name places a person in a landscape rather than describing them.
Where Sylvia comes from
Sylvia is the Latin silva, a wood or forest — the source of sylvan and of Pennsylvania, Penn's woods. Rhea Silvia is the mother of Romulus and Remus in Roman foundation legend: her uncle made her a Vestal Virgin precisely so she could bear no rival claimant, and Mars fathered the twins anyway. The y spelling is a later Latinising affectation, since the classical word has an i, and both are now current. Silvanus was the Roman god of woodland and uncultivated land, from the same root.
Sylvia in use
Sylvia peaked in the United States in 1937, when 4,389 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 300th in the United States on 1,017 births, 429th in England and Wales on 95, 583rd in Scotland and 6407th in France, across 271,645 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. It sits with Lucille among the strongest of the current vintage revivals.
How popular is Sylvia?
In 2025, Sylvia was given to 1,017 babies in the United States, ranking #300 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Sylvia 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 Sylvia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Sylvia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Sylvia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Sylvia
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.
Sylvia 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 Sylvia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Sylvia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Sylvia
What does the name Sylvia mean?
Of the forest, from the Latin silva — the same root as sylvan and Pennsylvania.
Who was Rhea Silvia?
The mother of Romulus and Remus, made a Vestal Virgin by her uncle so she could bear no rival heir.
Is it Sylvia or Silvia?
Silvia follows the classical Latin; Sylvia is a later Latinising respelling. Both are current.
Is Sylvia coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, at 300th in the United States on 1,017 births.
How popular is the name Sylvia?
In 2025, Sylvia was given to 1,017 babies in the United States, ranking #300 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Sylvia a girl's or a boy's name?
Sylvia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Sylvia?
Sylvia has 3 syllables.
When was Sylvia most popular?
Sylvia peaked in 1937, when 4,389 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1930s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Sylvia?
Sylvia is usually shortened to Syl and Vee.
Is Sylvia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Sylvia currently ranks #300 in the United States. After peaking in the 1930s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.