Sylvester

Last seen for girls in 1981 at #9,110 · #2,207 for boys in 2025, 64 births
Given to boys 98.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1889 · 112 births
Debut · boys
89 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
43,230
since 1880

Sylvester over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Sylvester has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201927peak #126, 1889boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#2,20764
2024#2,09871
2023#2,14767
2022#2,09471
2021#2,10968
2020#2,46752
2019#1,97474
2018#2,12266
2017#2,06567
2016#2,08667
2015#1,98373
2014#1,92075
2013#1,86676
2012#2,27057
2011#2,17360
2010#2,14462
2009#2,05067
2008#2,06267
2007#2,16462
2006#1,79077
2005#1,88967
2004#1,91164
2003#1,53883
2002#1,57178
2001#1,51480
2000#1,39190
1999#1,32091
1998#1,41880
1997#1,169103
1996#1,23690
1995#1,010121
1994#963131
1993#893143
1992#1,017115
1991#904135
1990#712203
1989#708193
1988#662203
1987#646199
1986#634199
1985#632194
1984#584209
1983#628184
1982#584218
1981#9,1106#584215
1980#613204
1979#537249
1978#561223
1977#570217
1976#590190
1975#544218
1974#575195
1973#502241
1972#8,2925#529224
1971#6,6197#473291
1970#6,3627#515245
1969#499241
1968#7,0165#470259
1967#5,4577#439293
1966#423326
1965#397388
1964#405390
1963#5,2967#374454
1962#6,5785#373467
1961#349518
1960#6,3905#347504
1959#4,6258#326559
1958#316582
1957#312604
1956#5,3256#297621
1955#3,77810#283644
1954#4,6557#278640
1953#3,9559#276635
1952#4,4837#280603
1951#266640
1950#3,05212#256643
1949#277588
1948#3,8838#271600
1947#5,2955#281596
1946#278538
1945#4,0256#258508
1944#250534
1943#3,2499#272501
1942#267498
1941#3,0309#237538
1940#3,5037#257460
1939#2,20614#244472
1938#3,4507#237503
1937#2,9409#244476
1936#237482
1935#2,57511#224529
1934#2,56711#232497
1933#2,8689#232495
1932#2,83110#216561
1931#2,9729#226525
1930#2,30614#217599
1929#2,19115#224570
1928#2,28415#219599
1927#2,25616#218611
1926#1,58927#201688
1925#2,61713#203691
1924#2,13718#198708
1923#1,89521#190725
1922#2,61213#194707
1921#2,19517#185755
1920#2,73112#174807
1919#1,74522#173749
1918#1,88720#172766
1917#1,55224#175715
1916#3,0319#172715
1915#2,9009#163706
1914#2,4349#164538
1913#2,3318#157464
1912#2,9795#167348
1911#2,1916#154219
1910#1,52110#154200
1909#1,9576#164151
1908#1,4399#143166
1907#1,5128#149151
1906#1,4168#156125
1905#160126
1904#1,09211#154124
1903#1,7925#156114
1902#1,5946#141135
1901#1,2278#138120
1900#1,5617#160131
1899#16094
1898#147115
1897#144111
1896#148111
1895#15899
1894#1,2377#152101
1893#17085
1892#1,2786#16198
1891#19464
1890#1,2106#15193
1889#126112
1888#17783
1887#17771
1886#18273
1885#16282
1884#19967
1883#17769
1882#18274
1881#15976
1880#15389
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Sylvester was already there! It came in at #153, and was given to 89 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2004–2025, when fewer than 78 boys a year got the name.

See more about Sylvester
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 109 spots since 2024 (#2,098#2,207)
  • 260 spots since 2020 (#2,467#2,207)
  • 224 spots since 2015 (#1,983#2,207)
  • Biggest jump: 124 spots in 1993 (#1,017#893)
  • Biggest drop: 192 spots in 1991 (#712#904)
Rise & fade · boys
9 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1889 at #126 (112 births)
  • Births halved by 2020, 131 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 114 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 114 yrs · run 1880–1991
Share of babies · boys
1 in 887
  • Highest: 1 in 887 boys born in 1901 were named Sylvester (0.11%)
  • Latest: 1 in 26,689 boys born in 2025 (0.00%)
  • Its best rank, #126 in 1889, was only 1 in 987 (0.10%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 1920s
  • 15.9% of all boys named Sylvester (6,861) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s796#126 (1889)#169
1890s971#144 (1897)#159
1900s1,343#138 (1901)#152
1910s5,420#154 (1911)#165
1920s6,861#174 (1920)#201
1930s5,139#216 (1932)#231
1940s5,361#237 (1941)#265
1950s6,171#256 (1950)#289
1960s3,840#347 (1960)#408
1970s2,293#473 (1971)#540
1980s2,018#584 (1982)#628
1990s1,212#712 (1990)#1,064
2000s735#1,391 (2000)#1,788
2010s677#1,866 (2013)#2,060
2020s393#2,094 (2022)#2,187

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Sylvester in 1927

girls
#2,256
16 births · 1 in 74,527 girls
boys
#218
611 births · 1 in 1,844 boys

Top girls' names in 1927

  1. #1Mary70,642
  2. #2Dorothy35,993
  3. #3Betty35,424
  4. #4Helen25,316
  5. #5Margaret21,964
  6. #6Ruth19,412
  7. #7Doris16,512
  8. #8Virginia15,734
  9. #9Shirley13,314
  10. #10Barbara13,161
  11. #2,256Sylvester16

Top boys' names in 1927

  1. #1Robert61,674
  2. #2John55,949
  3. #3James53,674
  4. #4William51,476
  5. #5Charles31,941
  6. #6Richard26,768
  7. #7George25,949
  8. #8Donald23,834
  9. #9Joseph23,503
  10. #10Edward19,115
  11. #218Sylvester611
More about 1927

girls

1,192,431 girls got a published name in 1927; 1 in 74,527 of them was named Sylvester, which outranked 59.7% of the 5,602 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sylvester
  1. #2,169Wanna17
  2. #2,169Wylene17
  3. #2,169Zeola17
  4. #2,256Sylvester16
  5. #2,256Adda16
  6. #2,256Alena16
  7. #2,256America16
  8. #2,339Adriana15
  9. #2,339Alwilda15
  10. #2,339Anastacia15

Tied with 82 names at #2,256; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1926
Risers
  1. 2,708Charmaine#3,564#856
  2. 1,519Kazuko#2,474#955
  3. 1,152Valencia#2,076#924
  4. 551Cherie#1,414#863
  5. 452Lita#1,148#696
Fallers
  1. 349Janell#748#1,097
  2. 330Sabina#931#1,261
  3. 319Clarine#942#1,261
  4. 298Shirlie#980#1,278
  5. 291Delilah#836#1,127

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,126,915 boys got a published name in 1927; 1 in 1,844 of them was named Sylvester, which outranked 95.5% of the 4,802 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.2% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sylvester
  1. #215Emil620
  2. #216Nick616
  3. #217Malcolm613
  4. #218Sylvester611
  5. #219Forrest610
  6. #219Johnie610
  7. #221Neil609
Biggest movers since 1926
Risers
  1. 1,863Lindbergh#2,436#573
  2. 966Lindy#1,353#387
  3. 601Sonny#1,565#964
  4. 467Akira#1,404#937
  5. 442Maria#1,432#990
Fallers
  1. 684Minoru#963#1,647
  2. 611Reno#825#1,436
  3. 406Hurley#916#1,322
  4. 356Adelbert#842#1,198
  5. 330Gardner#963#1,293

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1927