girls' name ★ peaked 1937

Sylvia

Meaning Sylvia is a feminine given name of Latin origin Gender Girl Rank 2025 #300 Trend ↑ Rising 45%

Sylvia is a feminine given name of Latin origin.

Rank 2025
#300
among girls · ↑61 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,017
named Sylvia · +17% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,580
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1937
4,389 babies
All-time total
245,978
#167 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Sylvia popularity over time

245,978 babies have been named Sylvia since 1880, 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
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 1,109 – 1,109 111 – #162
1890s 3,025 – 3,025 303 +173% #130
1900s 5,559 11 5,570 557 +84% #93
1910s 25,655 74 25,729 2,573 +362% #67
1920s 26,841 124 26,965 2,697 +5% #85
1930s 33,011 164 33,175 3,318 +23% #50
1940s 37,288 134 37,422 3,742 +13% #62
1950s 39,540 116 39,656 3,966 +6% #97
1960s 28,621 129 28,750 2,875 -28% #121
1970s 12,614 68 12,682 1,268 -56% #189
1980s 9,323 78 9,401 940 -26% #238
1990s 6,390 10 6,400 640 -32% #322
2000s 5,440 – 5,440 544 -15% #497
2010s 6,046 – 6,046 605 +11% #483
2020s (to 2025) 4,608 – 4,608 768 +27% #300

Where Sylvia 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 1,083 0.67 #286
2027 1,143 0.71 #273
2028 1,196 0.74 #259
2029 1,243 0.77 #249
2030 1,285 0.80 #242

Where Sylvia is most popular

Girls named Sylvia per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.493 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

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 Sylvia 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
Vermont 10 2.06 +318%
Wisconsin 161 1.56 +217%
Minnesota 158 1.46 +197%
Montana 19 1.40 +185%
Pennsylvania 302 1.28 +159%
New Hampshire 22 1.19 +142%
Kentucky 101 1.18 +139%
West Virginia 29 1.11 +124%
Indiana 154 1.10 +122%
Oregon 69 1.06 +115%
Iowa 61 1.04 +112%
Maine 16 1.03 +110%
Ohio 242 1.02 +107%
Michigan 180 0.988 +100%
Missouri 114 0.946 +92%
Washington 136 0.941 +91%
Arkansas 46 0.870 +76%
Idaho 29 0.867 +76%
Utah 71 0.853 +73%
Colorado 88 0.788 +60%
Nebraska 28 0.779 +58%
Oklahoma 57 0.774 +57%
Kansas 42 0.728 +48%
Massachusetts 88 0.728 +48%
Alaska 6 0.697 +41%
Maryland 73 0.689 +40%
Virginia 104 0.610 +24%
New York 233 0.588 +19%
Tennessee 92 0.581 +18%
Illinois 132 0.577 +17%
Connecticut 33 0.567 +15%
South Carolina 48 0.534 +8%
Rhode Island 6 0.479 ≈ national
Alabama 43 0.458 -7%
North Carolina 104 0.457 -7%
South Dakota 6 0.420 -15%
North Dakota 5 0.380 -23%
Arizona 52 0.371 -25%
Louisiana 32 0.366 -26%
New Jersey 65 0.360 -27%
Mississippi 16 0.342 -31%
Florida 121 0.283 -43%
Georgia 62 0.273 -45%
California 221 0.263 -47%
Texas 169 0.210 -57%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
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 Sylvia

Sylvia is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #300 in 2025 with 1,017 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 245,978 American babies have been named Sylvia. Its peak came in 1937, when 4,389 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1930s.

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

How old are people named Sylvia?

The median living Sylvia is about 65 years old; half are between 48 and 76. An estimated 137 thousand people named Sylvia 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.

Sylvia 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 1,017 #300 – –
2024 868 #361 – –
2023 724 #427 – –
2022 720 #439 – –
2021 673 #467 – –
2020 606 #502 – –
2019 616 #511 – –
2018 633 #492 – –
2017 647 #483 – –
2016 622 #502 – –
2015 662 #484 – –
2014 638 #490 – –
2013 594 #507 – –
2012 578 #526 – –
2011 531 #551 – –
2010 525 #557 – –
2009 555 #550 – –
2008 556 #554 – –
2007 588 #533 – –
2006 581 #520 – –
2005 547 #529 – –
2004 513 #557 – –
2003 504 #550 – –
2002 535 #513 – –
2001 519 #517 – –
2000 542 #497 – –
1995 589 #436 – –
1990 818 #334 5 #9,336
1985 931 #271 7 #5,694
1980 962 #264 7 #5,449
1975 1,143 #215 9 #3,912
1970 1,727 #189 10 #3,255
1965 2,960 #131 13 #2,358
1960 3,824 #121 10 #2,851
1955 4,003 #107 12 #2,421
1950 3,612 #97 10 #2,561
1945 3,375 #83 11 #2,233
1940 3,802 #62 20 #1,566
1935 3,620 #60 19 #1,650
1930 1,830 #132 11 #2,590
1925 2,537 #106 17 #2,000
1920 3,317 #85 5 #4,903
1915 3,284 #67 8 #3,042
1910 1,000 #92 – –
1905 528 #120 – –
1900 446 #137 – –
1895 276 #157 – –
1890 223 #158 – –
1885 112 #173 – –
1880 81 #162 – –

Famous people named Sylvia

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

  1. 1 Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath American poet and writer (1932–1963) Contemporary
  2. 2 Sylvia Browne Sylvia Browne American psychic and author (1936–2013) Contemporary
  3. 3 Sylvia Hoeks Sylvia Hoeks Dutch actress (born 1983) Contemporary
  4. 4 Sylvia Kristel Sylvia Kristel Dutch actress and model (1952–2012) Contemporary
  5. 5 Sylvia Sidney Sylvia Sidney American actress (1910–1999) Contemporary
  6. 6 Sylvia Miles Sylvia Miles American actress (1924–2019) Contemporary
  7. 7 Sylvia Rivera Sylvia Rivera American LGBT rights activist (1951–2002) Contemporary
  8. 8 Sylvia Earle Sylvia Earle American marine biologist and lecturer b. 1935 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Sylvia Robinson Sylvia Robinson American singer and record producer (1935–2011) Contemporary
  10. 10 Sylvia Pankhurst Sylvia Pankhurst English activist, writer and artist (1882–1960) 19th century
  11. 11 Sylvia Fowles Sylvia Fowles American basketball player (born 1985) Contemporary
  12. 12 Sylvia Mathews Burwell Sylvia Mathews Burwell American government official (born 1965) Contemporary
  13. 13 Sylvia Beach Sylvia Beach American-born bookseller and publisher (1887-1962) 19th century
  14. 14 Sylvia Chang Sylvia Chang Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, producer and director b. 1953 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Sylvia Nasar Sylvia Nasar American journalist (born 1947) Contemporary
  16. 16 Sylvia Hanika German tennis player b. 1959 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet Sylvia Jebiwott Kibet Kenyan long-distance runner (born 1984) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Sylvia?

The median living Sylvia is about 65 years old. Half of all living Sylvias are between 48 and 76 years old.

How many people named Sylvia are alive today?

An estimated 137 thousand people named Sylvia are alive in the United States, based on 245,978 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Sylvia mean?

Sylvia is a feminine given name of Latin origin.

How popular is the name Sylvia in 2025?

Sylvia ranked #300 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,017 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Sylvia?

245,978 babies have been named Sylvia in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Sylvia most popular?

Sylvia peaked in 1937, when 4,389 newborns received the name.

Is Sylvia a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Sylvia rising or falling?

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

Will Sylvia become more popular?

Sylvia is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,285 girls named Sylvia in 2030, which would rank around #242. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Sylvia?

Well-known people named Sylvia include Sylvia Plath (writer), Sylvia Browne (writer), Sylvia Hoeks (actor).

Names like Sylvia

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

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