Sylvia

Sylvia: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “from the forest”
Origin: Latin
Say it: SIL-vee-uh · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

From Latin Silvia, feminine of Silvius, derived from silva 'forest'. A classical Roman name also used in literature.

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How popular is Sylvia?

2024259 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Sylvia in 2024863

2024 rank#361 girls

Peak year1937

Total US babies since 1880244,949

Sylvia is steady now but far below its 1937 peak.

Names like Sylvia

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Sylviefrom the forest · French
Camilayoung ceremonial attendant · Latin
Lunamoon · Latin
Auroradawn · Latin
Emilyrival · Latin
Norahonor · Latin
Lucylight · Latin
Gracegrace; favor · Latin

Sylvia questions

What does the name Sylvia mean?

Sylvia means "from the forest". It comes from Latin. From Latin Silvia, feminine of Silvius, derived from silva 'forest'. A classical Roman name also used in literature.

Is Sylvia a boy or girl name?

Sylvia is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Sylvia?

863 US babies were named Sylvia in 2024. Its peak year was 1937.

How do you pronounce Sylvia?

Sylvia is usually pronounced SIL-vee-uh.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.