Sylvia
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- SIL-vee-a
- Origin
- Latin
- UK rank, 2025
- #445 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #300 for girls
Sylvia is a girls' name of Latin origin, meaning “of the forest”. In 2025 it ranked 445th for girls in the UK (99 babies) and 300th for girls in the US (1,017 babies).
What does Sylvia mean?
Latin: from silva, wood or forest
“of the forest”
In Roman legend Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus; the poet Sylvia Plath is a famous bearer.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Sylvia a girl's or a boy's name?
Sylvia is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 99 girls in the UK and 1,017 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Sylvia in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #445among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 99about 1 in 2,800 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 23% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 99 girls in the UK were named Sylvia, making it the 445th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 665th.
2025 had the most girls named Sylvia of any year since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Sylvia in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2021. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
In 2025, 111 girls in the UK were given Sylvia or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #409, up from #445 for this spelling alone.
- Sylvia 99
- Silvia 12
Among girls in 2025, it was 426th in England and Wales and 632nd in Scotland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1914 (#82), 1924 (#42), 1934 (#18), 1944 (#26) and 1954 (#64).
Sylvia in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 99 | #445 |
| 2024 | 67 | #629 |
| 2023 | 88 | #496 |
| 2022 | 65 | #634 |
| 2021 | 69 | #607 |
| 2020 | 61 | #665 |
| 2019 | 74 | #597 |
| 2018 | 72 | #627 |
| 2017 | 62 | #715 |
| 2016 | 63 | #720 |
| 2015 | 66 | #670 |
| 2014 | 64 | #681 |
| 2013 | 49 | #829 |
| 2012 | 49 | #846 |
| 2011 | 50 | #798 |
| 2010 | 28 | #1,229 |
| 2009 | 43 | #864 |
| 2008 | 35 | #978 |
| 2007 | 29 | #1,082 |
| 2006 | 37 | #868 |
| 2005 | 26 | #1,048 |
| 2004 | 24 | #1,081 |
| 2003 | 20 | #1,216 |
| 2002 | 27 | #927 |
| 2001 | 14 | #1,461 |
| 2000 | 25 | #954 |
| 1999 | 17 | #1,243 |
| 1998 | 26 | #922 |
| 1997 | 19 | #1,119 |
| 1996 | 25 | #905 |
How popular is Sylvia in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #300among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 1,017about 1 in 1,600 girls
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 41% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 1,017 girls in the US were named Sylvia, making it the 300th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 501st. Its busiest year was 1937, with 4,371 girls.
It has been given to more girls each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had more girls named Sylvia than any year since 1983.
Half of all the girls named Sylvia in the US since 1880 were born between 1929 and 1963, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 1,199 girls in the US were given Sylvia or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #283, up from #300 for this spelling alone.
- Sylvia 1,017
- Silvia 182
Sylvia in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,017 | #300 |
| 2024 | 868 | #361 |
| 2023 | 724 | #427 |
| 2022 | 720 | #437 |
| 2021 | 673 | #465 |
| 2020 | 606 | #501 |
| 2019 | 616 | #510 |
| 2018 | 633 | #492 |
| 2017 | 647 | #482 |
| 2016 | 622 | #502 |
| 2015 | 662 | #484 |
| 2014 | 638 | #490 |
| 2013 | 594 | #507 |
| 2012 | 578 | #525 |
| 2011 | 531 | #550 |
| 2010 | 525 | #557 |
| 2009 | 555 | #548 |
| 2008 | 556 | #554 |
| 2007 | 588 | #532 |
| 2006 | 581 | #520 |
| 2005 | 547 | #528 |
| 2004 | 513 | #556 |
| 2003 | 504 | #550 |
| 2002 | 535 | #513 |
| 2001 | 519 | #517 |
| 2000 | 542 | #496 |
| 1999 | 539 | #482 |
| 1998 | 553 | #468 |
| 1997 | 518 | #484 |
| 1996 | 553 | #452 |
| 1995 | 589 | #436 |
| 1994 | 593 | #423 |
| 1993 | 685 | #372 |
| 1992 | 711 | #361 |
| 1991 | 831 | #322 |
| 1990 | 818 | #334 |
| 1989 | 799 | #319 |
| 1988 | 856 | #290 |
| 1987 | 863 | #285 |
| 1986 | 879 | #280 |
| 1985 | 931 | #271 |
| 1984 | 1,003 | #248 |
| 1983 | 1,038 | #238 |
| 1982 | 984 | #254 |
| 1981 | 1,008 | #247 |
| 1980 | 962 | #264 |
| 1979 | 1,016 | #247 |
| 1978 | 947 | #251 |
| 1977 | 982 | #255 |
| 1976 | 1,057 | #228 |
| 1975 | 1,143 | #215 |
| 1974 | 1,353 | #189 |
| 1973 | 1,347 | #192 |
| 1972 | 1,465 | #194 |
| 1971 | 1,577 | #194 |
| 1970 | 1,727 | #189 |
| 1969 | 1,814 | #178 |
| 1968 | 1,963 | #164 |
| 1967 | 2,214 | #156 |
| 1966 | 2,411 | #146 |
| 1965 | 2,960 | #131 |
| 1964 | 2,945 | #136 |
| 1963 | 3,280 | #128 |
| 1962 | 3,458 | #131 |
| 1961 | 3,752 | #124 |
| 1960 | 3,824 | #121 |
| 1959 | 3,853 | #120 |
| 1958 | 4,156 | #114 |
| 1957 | 4,310 | #109 |
| 1956 | 4,145 | #108 |
| 1955 | 4,003 | #107 |
| 1954 | 4,083 | #101 |
| 1953 | 3,812 | #101 |
| 1952 | 3,789 | #99 |
| 1951 | 3,777 | #97 |
| 1950 | 3,612 | #97 |
| 1949 | 3,816 | #94 |
| 1948 | 3,671 | #100 |
| 1947 | 4,100 | #97 |
| 1946 | 4,093 | #82 |
| 1945 | 3,375 | #83 |
| 1944 | 3,292 | #83 |
| 1943 | 3,623 | #77 |
| 1942 | 3,728 | #72 |
| 1941 | 3,788 | #65 |
| 1940 | 3,802 | #62 |
| 1939 | 3,870 | #62 |
| 1938 | 4,259 | #56 |
| 1937 | 4,371 | #50 |
| 1936 | 4,156 | #53 |
| 1935 | 3,620 | #60 |
| 1934 | 3,475 | #70 |
| 1933 | 2,935 | #84 |
| 1932 | 2,568 | #96 |
| 1931 | 1,927 | #123 |
| 1930 | 1,830 | #132 |
| 1929 | 2,037 | #119 |
| 1928 | 2,222 | #119 |
| 1927 | 2,347 | #116 |
| 1926 | 2,528 | #107 |
| 1925 | 2,537 | #106 |
| 1924 | 2,757 | #104 |
| 1923 | 2,838 | #98 |
| 1922 | 2,961 | #94 |
| 1921 | 3,297 | #88 |
| 1920 | 3,317 | #85 |
| 1919 | 3,412 | #77 |
| 1918 | 3,675 | #71 |
| 1917 | 3,469 | #69 |
| 1916 | 3,414 | #68 |
| 1915 | 3,284 | #67 |
| 1914 | 2,565 | #70 |
| 1913 | 2,013 | #72 |
| 1912 | 1,639 | #77 |
| 1911 | 1,184 | #82 |
| 1910 | 1,000 | #92 |
| 1909 | 847 | #93 |
| 1908 | 748 | #101 |
| 1907 | 611 | #109 |
| 1906 | 617 | #107 |
| 1905 | 528 | #120 |
| 1904 | 497 | #118 |
| 1903 | 464 | #120 |
| 1902 | 411 | #136 |
| 1901 | 390 | #129 |
| 1900 | 446 | #136 |
| 1899 | 371 | #130 |
| 1898 | 391 | #132 |
| 1897 | 357 | #135 |
| 1896 | 340 | #140 |
| 1895 | 276 | #157 |
| 1894 | 288 | #152 |
| 1893 | 286 | #144 |
| 1892 | 275 | #149 |
| 1891 | 218 | #155 |
| 1890 | 223 | #158 |
| 1889 | 166 | #177 |
| 1888 | 166 | #174 |
| 1887 | 135 | #173 |
| 1886 | 137 | #167 |
| 1885 | 112 | #173 |
| 1884 | 87 | #199 |
| 1883 | 79 | #190 |
| 1882 | 79 | #178 |
| 1881 | 67 | #185 |
| 1880 | 81 | #161 |
Nicknames for Sylvia
- Syl
- Sylvie 296 girls in the UK in 2025
Names like Sylvia
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Julia Beatrice Alma Stella Florence Maria Rosa Aurelia Rose Hazel Dorothy Cecilia
Other spellings of Sylvia
Names related to Sylvia
More Latin names
Oliver Olivia Leo Roman Aurora Emily Mabel Luna Nora Rosie Emilia Max Nova Lucy Julian Clara
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, “Sylvia: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/sylvia, updated 20 October 2026.