Sylvia
Latin silva, “wood, forest”; Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Sylvia appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 36 different years between 1909 and 1952. Its biggest year was 1937, when 4,371 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 50 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 300 for girls. All told, 245,978 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Silvia (21,323) (total births since 1880)
Explore Sylvia interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,109 | No. 161 |
| 1890s | 3,025 | No. 130 |
| 1900s | 5,559 | No. 93 |
| 1910s | 25,655 | No. 67 |
| 1920s | 26,841 | No. 85 |
| 1930s | 33,011 | No. 50 |
| 1940s | 37,288 | No. 62 |
| 1950s | 39,540 | No. 97 |
| 1960s | 28,621 | No. 121 |
| 1970s | 12,614 | No. 189 |
| 1980s | 9,323 | No. 238 |
| 1990s | 6,390 | No. 322 |
| 2000s | 5,440 | No. 496 |
| 2010s | 6,046 | No. 482 |
| 2020s | 4,608 | No. 300 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.