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“Asked for; borrowed” — Aramaic/Hebrew (via שְׁאִילָא, cognate with שָׁאוּל 'Saul') origin
Boy's name · #71 in the US (2025) · Comeback
Silas was #140 in 1880, slipped to #1015 by 1967, and reached #71 in 2025 — its highest rank ever. About 75,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.
Around the world: about 1 in 370 boys in Norway (2025) · about 1 in 550 boys in New Zealand (2025) · about 1 in 690 boys in Canada (2024).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 329 notable people named Silas:
Lawyers & judges appear 2.74× more often than among typical names — e.g. Silas Adams, American lawyer and politician (1839-1896).
Similar names: Sylas · Jasper · Shiloh · Eli · Elias · Zion
Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.