Holding steady, #12,008 for boys today.
Popularity of Sylvanus since 1880
Babies named Sylvanus per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1915, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Sylvanus's real moment was 1894.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 23 |
| 1890s | 8 |
| 1900s | 11 |
| 1910s | 81 |
| 1920s | 97 |
| 1930s | 34 |
| 1940s | 40 |
| 1950s | 13 |
| 1960s | 5 |
| 1970s | 15 |
| 1980s | 28 |
| 1990s | 16 |
| 2000s | 35 |
| 2010s | 31 |
| 2020s | 33 |
Meaning & origin
Sylvanus is a name of Latin origin meaning 'of the forest.' It first appeared in U.S. records in 1880. Its peak year was 1894, though it has never ranked highly. As of 2025, the name ranks 12,008th, with a frequency of about 1 in 341,615 births, indicating extremely rare usage. The name's trajectory has remained stable, neither gaining nor losing significant ground in recent years. It was most common in the 1890s but has not seen a revival. Associated with nature and Roman mythology, Sylvanus offers a classic yet uncommon choice.
From the Latin Silvanus, a Roman cognomen derived from silva meaning 'forest' or 'woodland'. In Roman mythology, Silvanus was a tutelary deity of fields and woods. The name was adopted by early Christians, including several saints, and was used in England after the Reformation, though it has never been common.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Syl, Van
Sibling names for Sylvanus
Names that share Sylvanus's style, for a brother or sister.
