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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201937peak #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 1937

girls
#2,940
9 births · 1 in 118,226 girls
boys
#244
476 births · 1 in 2,241 boys

Top girls' names in 1937

  1. #1Mary55,641
  2. #2Barbara34,917
  3. #3Patricia26,838
  4. #4Shirley26,823
  5. #5Betty25,337
  6. #6Carol17,336
  7. #7Nancy17,074
  8. #8Dorothy16,572
  9. #9Joan15,301
  10. #10Margaret15,144
  11. #2,940Sylvester9

Top boys' names in 1937

  1. #1Robert61,842
  2. #2James56,561
  3. #3John48,755
  4. #4William40,725
  5. #5Richard32,975
  6. #6Charles30,520
  7. #7Donald27,868
  8. #8David20,981
  9. #9Thomas19,772
  10. #10George18,439
  11. #244Sylvester476
More about 1937

girls

1,064,033 girls got a published name in 1937; 1 in 118,226 of them was named Sylvester, which outranked 40.4% of the 4,930 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.6% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sylvester
  1. #2,735Wynette10
  2. #2,735Wyonda10
  3. #2,735Yola10
  4. #2,940Sylvester9
  5. #2,940Adah9
  6. #2,940Adelene9
  7. #2,940Agness9
  8. #3,146Adelfa8
  9. #3,146Adena8
  10. #3,146Adina8

Tied with 205 names at #2,940; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1936
Risers
  1. 3,217Noreta#4,181#964
  2. 2,845Noretta#3,701#856
  3. 2,351Leilani#3,103#752
  4. 1,407Deann#2,263#856
  5. 1,209Norita#1,741#532
Fallers
  1. 438Dorla#951#1,389
  2. 331Vilma#951#1,282
  3. 303Imelda#979#1,282
  4. 297Lulu#695#992
  5. 292Lyda#840#1,132

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

boys

1,066,659 boys got a published name in 1937; 1 in 2,241 of them was named Sylvester, which outranked 93.9% of the 4,020 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.6% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sylvester
  1. #241Dewey479
  2. #241Rufus479
  3. #243Gerard478
  4. #244Sylvester476
  5. #245Elbert475
  6. #246Mack473
  7. #247Ramon472
Biggest movers since 1936
Risers
  1. 1,923Tyrone#2,629#706
  2. 558Lamont#1,540#982
  3. 540Lary#1,540#1,000
  4. 416Errol#906#490
  5. 399Levon#1,356#957
Fallers
  1. 492Gaston#989#1,481
  2. 461Gorden#827#1,288
  3. 432Sergio#940#1,372
  4. 371Landon#422#793
  5. 347Harlen#747#1,094

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

See the top 100 for 1937