Nameling

Sybil

Gender
Girl
Say it
SIB-il
Origin
Greek
UK rank, 2025
#929 for girls
US rank, 2025
#1,423 for girls

Vintage revival

Sybil is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “prophetess”. In 2025 it ranked 929th for girls in the UK (40 babies) and 1,423rd for girls in the US (152 babies).

What does Sybil mean?

Greek: via Latin sibylla

“prophetess”

From the sibyls, prophetesses of the ancient world; Disraeli's 1845 novel Sybil and Fawlty Towers' Sybil Fawlty are well-known bearers.

More on Wiktionary.

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

Sybil is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 40 girls in the UK and 152 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Sybil in the UK?

Rank in 2025
#929among girls
Babies in 2025
40about 1 in 7,000 girls
Five-year trend
Risingup 86% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 40 girls in the UK were named Sybil, making it the 929th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,431st. Its busiest year was 2024, with 40 girls.

Half of all the girls named Sybil in the UK since 1996 were born between 2016 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.

Among girls in 2025, it was 951st in England and Wales and 780th in Scotland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1924 (#99).

1998Busiest: 40 in 20242025
Sybil in the UK, year by year
YearGirlsRank
202540#929
202440#947
202339#969
202231#1,150
202124#1,393
202023#1,431
201923#1,439
201818#1,739
201730#1,213
201619#1,724
201516#1,900
201413#2,189
201311#2,454
20126#3,881
20115#4,244
20104#4,931
20095#4,141
20083#5,772
20073#5,415
20060–
20050–
20040–
20030–
20024#3,556
20013#4,156
20000–
19990–
19984#3,310

How popular is Sybil in the US?

Rank in 2025
#1,423among girls
Babies in 2025
152about 1 in 11,000 girls
Five-year trend
Risingup 32% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1%chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 152 girls in the US were named Sybil, making it the 1,423rd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,893rd. Its busiest year was 1921, with 541 girls. It first appears in the records in 1881.

Half of all the girls named Sybil in the US since 1880 were born between 1923 and 1957, the years shaded on the chart below.

1881Busiest: 541 in 19212025
Sybil in the US, year by year
YearGirlsRank
2025152#1,423
2024136#1,559
2023154#1,446
2022145#1,497
2021123#1,680
2020101#1,893
2019124#1,687
2018109#1,852
2017111#1,842
2016106#1,897
201591#2,113
201486#2,194
201367#2,625
201216#7,452
201113#8,610
201012#9,227
200912#9,375
200818#7,069
200715#8,094
200619#6,590
200520#5,994
200415#7,386
20039#10,420
20028#11,102
200118#6,062
200016#6,481
19999#9,472
199813#7,099
199715#6,158
199611#7,569
199520#4,841
199424#4,233
199318#5,200
199229#3,674
199126#3,930
199033#3,292
198931#3,324
198833#3,034
198740#2,529
198653#2,024
198532#2,859
198439#2,420
198333#2,658
198247#2,150
198170#1,641
198093#1,351
197991#1,349
197861#1,707
197789#1,303
1976104#1,134
1975119#1,012
1974117#1,023
1973103#1,098
197288#1,212
197183#1,305
197076#1,369
196979#1,259
196889#1,133
1967103#1,011
1966144#830
1965153#798
1964143#866
1963210#703
1962181#772
1961129#952
1960165#804
1959146#843
1958182#731
1957169#766
1956168#748
1955178#706
1954194#662
1953203#621
1952215#593
1951224#570
1950208#580
1949214#573
1948220#559
1947249#531
1946277#471
1945241#460
1944256#454
1943287#435
1942292#423
1941305#394
1940368#332
1939366#327
1938357#336
1937322#358
1936370#317
1935287#373
1934271#394
1933286#382
1932268#398
1931274#395
1930318#383
1929338#358
1928419#326
1927436#320
1926381#342
1925442#319
1924479#305
1923455#303
1922463#297
1921541#285
1920483#296
1919515#282
1918460#299
1917288#373
1916287#362
1915269#365
1914206#370
1913165#374
1912117#436
191196#409
1910106#381
190981#407
190876#413
190755#481
190684#368
190560#433
190458#424
190354#432
190256#412
190152#414
190064#422
189951#408
189839#491
189737#470
189631#538
189529#547
189422#628
189318#687
189218#685
189125#514
189010#872
188914#687
188816#636
18879#788
18869#778
188510#695
18847#851
18835#920
188211#560
18816#740

Names like Sybil

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Hazel Mabel Cleo Elsie Iris Florence Annie Dottie Ada Stella Lottie Olive

More Greek names

Luca Theodore Sophia George Theo Lucas Sofia Alexander Sebastian Penelope Phoebe Margot Luke Chloe Sophie Zoe

Every Greek name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Sybil: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sybil, updated 20 October 2026.