Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Sylvan

Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #1,674 Trend ↑ Rising 113%

Sylvan is a masculine given name and a surname which may refer to:

Rank 2025
#1,674
among boys · ↑227 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
111
named Sylvan · +12% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,253
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
111 babies
All-time total
3,813
#2,224 all-time among boys
First recorded
1886
in Social Security records

Sylvan popularity over time

3,813 babies have been named Sylvan since 1886, 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
0.040.080.110.1518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 12 12 1 – #837
1890s – 39 39 4 +225% #656
1900s – 77 77 8 +97% #702
1910s – 585 585 59 +660% #555
1920s – 660 660 66 +13% #728
1930s – 391 391 39 -41% #922
1940s – 278 278 28 -29% #1,183
1950s – 178 178 18 -36% #1,429
1960s – 108 108 11 -39% #1,958
1970s – 105 105 11 -3% #2,440
1980s – 127 127 13 +21% #2,805
1990s 6 132 138 14 +9% #3,356
2000s 37 215 252 25 +83% #3,178
2010s 24 330 354 35 +40% #2,690
2020s (to 2025) 62 447 509 85 +140% #1,674

Where Sylvan is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 113 0.07 outside top 500
2027 127 0.07 outside top 500
2028 139 0.08 outside top 500
2029 151 0.09 outside top 500
2030 162 0.09 outside top 500

Where Sylvan is most popular

Boys named Sylvan per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.047 per 1,000. Strongest in Pennsylvania, Oregon, and New York.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Sylvan 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Pennsylvania 52 0.196 +321%
Oregon 5 0.066 +42%
New York 26 0.060 +29%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -9%
Colorado 5 0.039 -17%
Massachusetts 5 0.036 -22%
California 32 0.035 -25%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -58%
Texas 11 0.012 -73%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Sylvan

Sylvan is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,674 in 2025 with 99 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1886, 3,813 American babies have been named Sylvan. Its peak came in 2025, when 111 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Sylvan stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Sylvan?

The median living Sylvan is about 19 years old; half are between 5 and 51. An estimated 1,900 people named Sylvan are alive in the United States today.

median 19 020406080100

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

Sylvan 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 12 #8,811 99 #1,674
2024 15 #7,558 84 #1,901
2023 11 #9,533 75 #2,029
2022 8 #12,126 80 #1,950
2021 9 #11,065 64 #2,219
2020 7 #13,325 45 #2,751
2019 – – 48 #2,690
2018 11 #9,745 32 #3,511
2017 – – 35 #3,305
2016 – – 43 #2,834
2015 8 #12,884 25 #4,160
2014 – – 35 #3,215
2013 5 #18,969 29 #3,650
2012 – – 31 #3,517
2011 – – 25 #4,091
2010 – – 27 #3,887
2009 8 #13,552 20 #4,901
2008 – – 20 #4,874
2007 – – 18 #5,184
2006 7 #14,971 25 #3,981
2005 – – 18 #4,798
2004 5 #18,489 21 #4,249
2003 6 #15,545 20 #4,259
2002 5 #17,787 29 #3,178
2001 – – 22 #3,827
2000 6 #14,806 22 #3,745
1995 – – 12 #5,083
1990 – – 15 #3,942
1985 – – 14 #3,370
1980 – – 14 #3,232
1975 – – 18 #2,440
1970 – – 5 #5,354
1965 – – 5 #4,367
1960 – – 18 #1,966
1955 – – 11 #2,537
1950 – – 25 #1,496
1945 – – 19 #1,572
1940 – – 32 #1,206
1935 – – 44 #966
1930 – – 47 #1,004
1925 – – 80 #728
1920 – – 68 #814
1915 – – 66 #740
1910 – – 11 #1,035
1905 – – – –
1900 – – 12 #780
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Sylvan

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

  1. 1 Sylvan Ebanks-Blake Sylvan Ebanks-Blake English footballer (born 1986) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Sylvan?

The median living Sylvan is about 19 years old. Half of all living Sylvans are between 5 and 51 years old.

How many people named Sylvan are alive today?

An estimated 1,900 people named Sylvan are alive in the United States, based on 3,813 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sylvan mean?

Sylvan is a masculine given name and a surname which may refer to:

How popular is the name Sylvan in 2025?

Sylvan ranked #1,674 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 99 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sylvan?

3,813 babies have been named Sylvan in the United States since 1886, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sylvan most popular?

Sylvan peaked in 2025, when 111 newborns received the name.

Is Sylvan a boy or girl name?

Sylvan is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Sylvan rising or falling?

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

Will Sylvan become more popular?

Sylvan is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 162 boys named Sylvan 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 Sylvan?

Well-known people named Sylvan include Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (soccer player).

Names like Sylvan

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

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