girl's name
Sylviane
seel-vee-AHN
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Letters 8
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 53,090
Sylviane means of the forest, and Rome had a god for exactly that — Silvanus presided over woodland and field boundaries, and Rhea Silvia, mother of Romulus and Remus, carries the same root. Pennsylvania carries the same Latin root.
- Sylviane is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1955, when 2,505 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 117,911 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
Sylviane over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 110 |
| 1910s | 300 |
| 1920s | 1,215 |
| 1930s | 2,945 |
| 1940s | 9,995 |
| 1950s | 22,695 |
| 1960s | 12,345 |
| 1970s | 2,745 |
| 1980s | 525 |
| 1990s | 115 |
| 2000s | 50 |
| 2010s | 35 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10 |
What Sylviane means
Sylviane means of the woods or forest. The Latin silva names woodland directly, so the name places someone rather than describing their character. Silvanus was the god of exactly that ground.
Where Sylviane comes from
Sylviane is a French feminine of Silvanus, from the Latin silva, a wood or forest — the root of sylvan and of Pennsylvania, Penn's woods. Silvanus was the Roman god of woodland, uncultivated land and the boundaries of fields, a figure of the edges rather than the center. Rhea Silvia, the Vestal who bore Romulus and Remus, carries the same element, as does Saint Silvia, mother of Gregory the Great.
Sylviane in use
Sylviane peaked in France in 1955, when 2,505 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 4642nd in France on 5 births, across 53,090 lifetime births. Our records hold no births for it in any other market in any year.
How popular is Sylviane?
In 2025, Sylviane was given to 5 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Sylviane is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Sylviane
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Sylviane also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Sylviane over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sylviane 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 Sylviane
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Sylviane — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Sylviane
What does the name Sylviane mean?
Of the forest — the Latin silva, a wood.
Is Pennsylvania related?
Yes — Penn's woods, from the same silva.
Who was Silvanus?
The Roman god of woodland, uncultivated land and field boundaries.
Where is Sylviane used?
France only. We hold no births for it in any other market.
Is Sylviane a girl's or a boy's name?
Sylviane is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
When was Sylviane most popular?
Sylviane peaked in 1955, when 2,505 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Sylviane a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Sylviane currently ranks #4,642 in France. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.