Sylvia

“Variant of Silvia — Of the forest; spirit of the wood” — Latin origin

Girl's name · #300 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Sylvia has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #50 (1937) · 245,070 babies named Sylvia all-time · 1 in 1,600 girls born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 920 girls in New Zealand (2025) · about 1 in 2,700 girls in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 2,800 girls in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 43 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Sylvias

Sylvia Plath — American poet and writer (1932–1963)
Sylvia Kristel — Dutch actress, model, recording artist (1952-2012)
Sylvia A. Earle — American oceanographer
Sylvia Pankhurst — English feminist and socialist (1882–1960)
Sylvia Sidney — American actress (1910–1999)

In stories & tradition

Sylvia Trench — Dr. No · From Russia with Love
Sylvia Merx — Goede tijden, slechte tijden
Sylvia Costas — NYPD Blue

What Sylvias become

Among 1,648 notable people named Sylvia:

Medical professionals appear 1.82× more often than among typical names — e.g. Sylvia Fedoruk, Canadian medical physicist, curler and politician (1927–2012).

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