Sylvester

“Wooded or wild; of the forest” — Latin origin

Boy's name · #2224 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Few names move less than Sylvester — on the books since 1880, #2224 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 43,000 boys share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Sly is a short form of Sylvester.

Around the world: about 1 in 8,300 boys in Sweden (2025) · about 1 in 16,000 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 5 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Sylvesters

Sylvester Stallone — American actor and filmmaker (born 1946)
Sylvester I — 33rd pope and saint (reigned 314-335)
Sylvester II — Pope of the Catholic Church from 938 to 1003
Sylvester III — pope
Sylvester McCoy — Scottish actor (born 1943)

In stories & tradition

Sylvester — Looney Tunes
Sylvester Shyster — Mickey Mouse universe
Sylvester Junior — Pop 'Im Pop! · Who's Kitten Who?

What Sylvesters become

Among 296 notable people named Sylvester:

Political leaders appear 1.4× more often than among typical names — e.g. Sylvester Turner, American attorney, politician (1954–2025).

Similar names: Laurence · Sylvan · Cornelius · Chester · Valentine · Sidney

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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