Sylvia Name Meaning

The name Sylvia conveys a sense of beauty and nature, evoking images of woodland landscapes and greenery. It is also associated with strength and independence, as the mythical Silvia was a strong and determined woman.

Origins of the Name Sylvia

The name Sylvia is of Latin origin, deriving from the word “silva” meaning “forest” or “woods”. In Roman mythology, Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. The name was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but has since declined in popularity.

Popularity of the Name Sylvia

In the early 20th century, Sylvia was a popular name in many English-speaking countries, ranking among the top 100 names for girls in the United States and United Kingdom.

In recent decades, however, the popularity of Sylvia has declined, and it is now considered a less common name.

Final Thoughts on the Name Sylvia

Despite its declining popularity, Sylvia remains a timeless and elegant name with a rich history and meaning. Whether you are drawn to its association with nature and beauty or its connotations of strength and independence, Sylvia is a name that is sure to stand the test of time.

Infographic of Sylvia name meaning, which is The forest nymph, from the French sylvain, of the forest.
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Sylvia Name Popularity

How popular is the name Sylvia? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 92 975 0.2769%
1911 81 1,173 0.315%
1912 77 1,617 0.3206%
1913 71 1,998 0.3524%
1914 70 2,545 0.3652%
1915 67 3,269 0.3598%
1916 68 3,403 0.3523%
1917 69 3,463 0.3461%
1918 71 3,665 0.3415%
1919 77 3,404 0.3251%
1920 85 3,312 0.2979%
1921 88 3,288 0.2871%
1922 95 2,948 0.2646%
1923 98 2,834 0.253%
1924 104 2,749 0.2367%
1925 106 2,531 0.2239%
1926 107 2,514 0.2286%
1927 116 2,340 0.2114%
1928 118 2,213 0.2068%
1929 119 2,029 0.1959%
1930 132 1,822 0.1744%
1931 122 1,920 0.1945%
1932 96 2,562 0.2593%
1933 84 2,930 0.3145%
1934 70 3,471 0.3591%
1935 60 3,613 0.3718%
1936 53 4,154 0.4312%
1937 50 4,363 0.4428%
1938 55 4,256 0.4157%
1939 62 3,867 0.3802%
1940 62 3,791 0.3567%
1941 65 3,779 0.3358%
1942 72 3,725 0.295%
1943 76 3,619 0.2772%
1944 83 3,283 0.2649%
1945 83 3,370 0.2763%
1946 82 4,089 0.2771%
1947 97 4,098 0.2455%
1948 100 3,667 0.2297%
1949 94 3,802 0.2363%
1950 97 3,606 0.224%
1951 97 3,768 0.2222%
1952 99 3,789 0.2171%
1953 100 3,811 0.2153%
1954 101 4,078 0.2231%
1955 107 3,989 0.2169%
1956 108 4,135 0.2189%
1957 109 4,298 0.2234%
1958 114 4,147 0.2194%
1959 120 3,841 0.2022%
1960 121 3,807 0.2009%
1961 124 3,735 0.1978%
1962 131 3,426 0.1866%
1963 128 3,268 0.1821%
1964 138 2,917 0.1657%
1965 132 2,947 0.1802%
1966 147 2,384 0.1527%
1967 156 2,181 0.1437%
1968 166 1,924 0.1281%
1969 178 1,792 0.1163%
1970 190 1,696 0.1066%
1971 194 1,548 0.103%
1972 195 1,424 0.1046%
1973 191 1,318 0.1017%
1974 189 1,324 0.1019%
1975 215 1,112 0.0865%
1976 229 1,031 0.08%
1977 254 958 0.0711%
1978 251 918 0.0683%
1979 246 988 0.0701%
1980 266 923 0.0631%
1981 251 961 0.0654%
1982 255 958 0.0641%
1983 237 1,000 0.0678%
1984 249 976 0.0656%
1985 268 910 0.06%
1986 280 852 0.0564%
1987 287 818 0.0536%
1988 292 823 0.0528%
1989 318 764 0.0473%
1990 333 795 0.048%
1991 324 800 0.0491%
1992 360 676 0.0424%
1993 378 639 0.041%
1994 425 556 0.0362%
1995 437 547 0.0363%
1996 460 500 0.0334%
1997 483 469 0.0317%
1998 470 510 0.0341%
1999 496 487 0.0325%
2000 497 507 0.0332%
2001 523 470 0.0312%
2002 509 499 0.0333%
2003 556 460 0.0302%
2004 575 453 0.0297%
2005 535 494 0.0323%
2006 520 545 0.0348%
2007 526 553 0.035%
2008 560 504 0.0326%
2009 556 507 0.0339%
2010 547 484 0.0336%
2011 545 487 0.0342%
2012 511 541 0.038%
2013 499 552 0.0388%
2014 483 596 0.0409%
2015 470 628 0.0432%
2016 489 579 0.0402%
2017 483 582 0.0417%
2018 468 599 0.0436%
2019 483 575 0.0425%
2020 516 532 0.0418%
2021 482 567 0.0464%
2022 436 682 0.0517%

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Data via SSA.gov.

Names Like Sylvia

If you like Sylvia, you’ll love these other names like Sylvia.

What names are diminutives of Sylvia?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Sylvia sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Sylvia, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Syl

A diminutive form of Sylvia.

Sylvie

Woods, forest

Latin

What names are variants of Sylvia?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Sylvia.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Silva

Woodland, forest; woods, forest

Latin

Silvaine

Woods, forest

Latin

Silvana

Woodland, forest

Italian

Silvania

Woods, forest

Latin

Silvanna

Woodland, forest; woods, forest

Latin

Silvia

Woods, forest

Latin

Silviana

Woods, forest

Latin

Silvianne

Woods, forest

Latin

Silvie

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylva

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylvana

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylvanna

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylvee

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylvette

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylviana

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylvianne

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylvie

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylvina

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylvine

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylvonna

Woods, forest

Latin

Sylwia

Woods, forest

Latin

Zilvia

Woods, forest

Latin

Zylvia

Woods, forest

Latin

What names sound like Sylvia?

If you like how Sylvia sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Sylvia.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Sallvia

Whole, healthy

Latin

Salvia

Whole, healthy

Latin

Silvi

Woods, forest

Latin

Silvya

Woods, forest

Latin

What names are similar to Sylvia?

Find a name that’s like Sylvia, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Xylia

Woodland; wood-dweller

Greek

Lists With Sylvia

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Sylvia.

Siblings of Sylvia

Mamas with kids named Sylvia also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Andrew

Manly and powerful

Greek

10 Comments

  1. Sylvia, Kaydence, and Zofia are the sneak squad (they’re my kids and no its not a real show) and although Zofia’s oldest, Sylvia’s pretty much the leader :D… 🙂

    Reply

  2. My husband chose the name because he love the name and I agree with the choice of name. My little girl is beyond adorable and has her dad’s like mommy

    Reply

  3. Sylvia is a beautiful and feminine name that means woman of the forest.

    Reply

  4. We named our daughter, born in 2016, Sylvia. We just loved the name and I coincidentally have an aunt Sylvia. We gave her the 2nd name of Faye after my husband’s aunt.
    And coincidentally, Sylvia means Forest and Faye means fairy. Our surname is Black so our daughter is a black forest fairy ?

    Reply

  5. My native language is Spanish so I wanted a Spanish sounding name for my daughter, preferably something with three syllables. My husband loves that it has name connotations “of the woods” and “forest.”

    Reply

    • Your sylvia

      Reply

  7. Sylvia means of the woods or forest. As big nature & hiking people we found it even more perfect that the name Sylvia reflects that.

    Reply

  8. I had my mom’s best friends that was also my god parents i knew then ever since i was two years old im 32 now and they both have past a ways 2 years ago and my god father was Sylvester and my godmother was Olivia so i took both their names and put then together and got Sylvia and her middle name is Jean which i got from her dad’s mom it was his mother’s middle name

    Reply

  9. It was a Finnish family name on both sides of the family.

    Reply

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