Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1921

Sybil

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,426 Trend ↑ Rising 38%

A female given name from Ancient Greek, the most popular spelling variant of Sibyl since the 19th century.

Rank 2025
#1,426
among girls · ↑141 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
152
named Sybil · +12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 10,574
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1921
541 babies
All-time total
20,365
#1,054 all-time among girls
First recorded
1881
in Social Security records

Sybil popularity over time

20,365 babies have been named Sybil since 1881, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 87 – 87 9 – #595
1890s 280 – 280 28 +222% #412
1900s 640 – 640 64 +129% #374
1910s 2,509 – 2,509 251 +292% #282
1920s 4,437 5 4,442 444 +77% #285
1930s 3,119 – 3,119 312 -30% #320
1940s 2,709 – 2,709 271 -13% #333
1950s 1,887 – 1,887 189 -30% #573
1960s 1,396 – 1,396 140 -26% #706
1970s 931 – 931 93 -33% #1,020
1980s 471 – 471 47 -49% #1,360
1990s 198 – 198 20 -58% #3,350
2000s 150 – 150 15 -24% #6,219
2010s 735 – 735 74 +390% #1,697
2020s (to 2025) 811 – 811 135 +84% #1,426

Where Sybil is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 160 0.10 outside top 500
2027 166 0.10 outside top 500
2028 172 0.11 outside top 500
2029 178 0.11 outside top 500
2030 182 0.11 outside top 500

Where Sybil is most popular

Girls named Sybil per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.088 per 1,000. Strongest in Washington, Utah, and Georgia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Sybil born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Washington 23 0.159 +82%
Utah 11 0.132 +51%
Georgia 30 0.132 +51%
Indiana 17 0.121 +38%
Maryland 11 0.104 +19%
Missouri 12 0.100 +14%
North Carolina 19 0.083 -5%
Virginia 14 0.082 -6%
Oregon 5 0.077 -12%
California 60 0.071 -18%
New York 28 0.071 -19%
Texas 56 0.070 -20%
Tennessee 11 0.069 -21%
Ohio 16 0.067 -23%
Colorado 6 0.054 -39%
Alabama 5 0.053 -39%
Florida 22 0.051 -41%
Michigan 9 0.049 -44%
Minnesota 5 0.046 -47%
Illinois 6 0.026 -70%
Pennsylvania 6 0.025 -71%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Sybil

Sybil is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,426 in 2025 with 152 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1881, 20,365 American babies have been named Sybil. Its peak came in 1921, when 541 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Sybil stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sybil?

The median living Sybil is about 65 years old; half are between 44 and 79. An estimated 8,800 people named Sybil are alive in the United States today.

median 65 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Sybil year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 152 #1,426 – –
2024 136 #1,567 – –
2023 154 #1,452 – –
2022 145 #1,503 – –
2021 123 #1,694 – –
2020 101 #1,907 – –
2019 124 #1,697 – –
2018 109 #1,866 – –
2017 111 #1,853 – –
2016 106 #1,907 – –
2015 91 #2,122 – –
2014 86 #2,211 – –
2013 67 #2,656 – –
2012 16 #7,760 – –
2011 13 #9,089 – –
2010 12 #9,727 – –
2009 12 #9,915 – –
2008 18 #7,378 – –
2007 15 #8,473 – –
2006 19 #6,804 – –
2005 20 #6,219 – –
2004 15 #7,796 – –
2003 9 #11,221 – –
2002 8 #12,067 – –
2001 18 #6,286 – –
2000 16 #6,769 – –
1995 20 #5,006 – –
1990 33 #3,350 – –
1985 32 #2,928 – –
1980 93 #1,360 – –
1975 119 #1,020 – –
1970 76 #1,386 – –
1965 153 #802 – –
1960 165 #808 – –
1955 178 #709 – –
1950 208 #583 – –
1945 241 #462 – –
1940 368 #333 – –
1935 287 #374 – –
1930 318 #385 – –
1925 442 #319 – –
1920 483 #296 – –
1915 269 #365 – –
1910 106 #384 – –
1905 60 #437 – –
1900 64 #422 – –
1895 29 #562 – –
1890 10 #932 – –
1885 10 #738 – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sybil

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Sybil Danning Sybil Danning Austrian actress b. 1952 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Sybil Thorndike Sybil Thorndike English actress (1882–1976) 19th century
  3. 3 Sybil Bauer Sybil Bauer American swimmer (1903–1927) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Sybil, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Sybil?

The median living Sybil is about 65 years old. Half of all living Sybils are between 44 and 79 years old.

How many people named Sybil are alive today?

An estimated 8,800 people named Sybil are alive in the United States, based on 20,365 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sybil mean?

A female given name from Ancient Greek, the most popular spelling variant of Sibyl since the 19th century.

How popular is the name Sybil in 2025?

Sybil ranked #1,426 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 152 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sybil?

20,365 babies have been named Sybil in the United States since 1881, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sybil most popular?

Sybil peaked in 1921, when 541 newborns received the name.

Is Sybil a boy or girl name?

Sybil is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sybil rising or falling?

Sybil is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Sybil become more popular?

Sybil is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 182 girls named Sybil in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sybil?

Well-known people named Sybil include Sybil Danning (actor), Sybil Thorndike (actor), Sybil Bauer (swimmer).

Names like Sybil

Names that sound and feel close to Sybil: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Sybil with similar names → More names starting with S →