Sylvia

#300 for girls in 2025, 1,017 births · Last seen for boys in 1992 at #8,435
Given to girls 99.6% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · girls
1937 · 4,371 births
Debut · girls
81 births
In top 100 · girls
36 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · girls
245,070
since 1880

Sylvia over time

girls

Rank among girls' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201915peak #50, 1937girls
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#3001,017—
2024#361868—
2023#427724—
2022#437720—
2021#465673—
2020#501606—
2019#510616—
2018#492633—
2017#482647—
2016#502622—
2015#484662—
2014#490638—
2013#507594—
2012#525578—
2011#550531—
2010#557525—
2009#548555—
2008#554556—
2007#532588—
2006#520581—
2005#528547—
2004#556513—
2003#550504—
2002#513535—
2001#517519—
2000#496542—
1999#482539—
1998#468553—
1997#484518—
1996#452553—
1995#436589—
1994#423593—
1993#372685—
1992#361711#8,4355
1991#322831—
1990#334818#8,1175
1989#319799#5,6158
1988#290856#5,2008
1987#285863#4,9688
1986#280879#5,3327
1985#271931#5,1477
1984#2481,003#3,27013
1983#2381,038#5,4846
1982#254984#4,5938
1981#2471,008#5,4686
1980#264962#4,9407
1979#2471,016#6,0565
1978#251947#5,0596
1977#255982#4,1648
1976#2281,057#5,5875
1975#2151,143#3,6599
1974#1891,353#3,5589
1973#1921,347—
1972#1941,465#4,9865
1971#1941,577#2,97311
1970#1891,727#3,07110
1969#1781,814#2,41513
1968#1641,963#2,57611
1967#1562,214#2,35212
1966#1462,411#3,5376
1965#1312,960#2,27013
1964#1362,945#2,54611
1963#1283,280#2,41412
1962#1313,458#1,80520
1961#1243,752#1,77821
1960#1213,824#2,68510
1959#1203,853#1,91618
1958#1144,156#2,37012
1957#1094,310#1,71522
1956#1084,145#2,9698
1955#1074,003#2,30212
1954#1014,083#2,7439
1953#1013,812#3,1437
1952#993,789#2,8758
1951#973,777#2,49510
1950#973,612#2,43810
1949#943,816#2,6069
1948#1003,671#2,6089
1947#974,100#1,91616
1946#824,093#2,03013
1945#833,375#2,13111
1944#833,292#1,81015
1943#773,623#1,69918
1942#723,728#2,9407
1941#653,788#1,75916
1940#623,802#1,51920
1939#623,870#1,42522
1938#564,259#1,97613
1937#504,371#1,62718
1936#534,156#1,35624
1935#603,620#1,58419
1934#703,475#1,78316
1933#842,935#1,99713
1932#962,568#1,84816
1931#1231,927#2,20712
1930#1321,830#2,44411
1929#1192,037#1,93316
1928#1192,222#2,04815
1927#1162,347#2,9129
1926#1072,528#1,98116
1925#1062,537#1,93517
1924#1042,757#3,5057
1923#982,838#2,22414
1922#942,961#3,5327
1921#883,297#1,90418
1920#853,317#4,2865
1919#773,412#3,3917
1918#713,675#3,0968
1917#693,469#2,28012
1916#683,414#2,9268
1915#673,284#2,8298
1914#702,565#1,77213
1913#722,013#1,9459
1912#771,639#1,7469
1911#821,184—
1910#921,000—
1909#93847—
1908#101748—
1907#109611#1,2006
1906#107617#1,2535
1905#120528—
1904#118497—
1903#120464—
1902#136411—
1901#129390—
1900#136446—
1899#130371—
1898#132391—
1897#135357—
1896#140340—
1895#157276—
1894#152288—
1893#144286—
1892#149275—
1891#155218—
1890#158223—
1889#177166—
1888#174166—
1887#173135—
1886#167137—
1885#173112—
1884#19987—
1883#19079—
1882#17879—
1881#18567—
1880#16181—
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Sylvia was already there! It came in at #161, and was given to 81 baby girls.


Quietest stretch: 1880–1884, when fewer than 88 girls a year got the name.

Where Sylvia is popular in 1915

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedAKMaine: #108 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 410 girlsMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: #129 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 523 girlsNHWashington: #80 for girls · 26 births · 1 in 301 girlsWAIdaho: #122 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 385 girlsIDMontana: #77 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 255 girlsMTNorth Dakota: #69 for girls · 28 births · 1 in 238 girlsNDMinnesota: #64 for girls · 88 births · 1 in 226 girlsMNIllinois: #58 for girls · 216 births · 1 in 247 girlsILWisconsin: #47 for girls · 114 births · 1 in 186 girlsWIMichigan: #76 for girls · 95 births · 1 in 293 girlsMINew York: #17 for girls · 1,109 births · 1 in 83 girlsNYMassachusetts: #64 for girls · 120 births · 1 in 271 girlsMARhode Island: #111 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 503 girlsRIOregon: #65 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 234 girlsORNevada: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedNVWyoming: #37 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 115 girlsWYSouth Dakota: #91 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 337 girlsSDIowa: #120 for girls · 33 births · 1 in 576 girlsIAIndiana: #99 for girls · 53 births · 1 in 431 girlsINOhio: #78 for girls · 125 births · 1 in 365 girlsOHPennsylvania: #62 for girls · 311 births · 1 in 281 girlsPANew Jersey: #50 for girls · 127 births · 1 in 213 girlsNJConnecticut: #52 for girls · 56 births · 1 in 209 girlsCTCalifornia: #109 for girls · 41 births · 1 in 455 girlsCAUtah: #59 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 212 girlsUTColorado: #89 for girls · 19 births · 1 in 319 girlsCONebraska: #75 for girls · 38 births · 1 in 276 girlsNEMissouri: #83 for girls · 78 births · 1 in 339 girlsMOKentucky: #126 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 549 girlsKYWest Virginia: #69 for girls · 56 births · 1 in 264 girlsWVVirginia: #151 for girls · 29 births · 1 in 793 girlsVAMaryland: #62 for girls · 44 births · 1 in 273 girlsMDDelaware: #71 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 266 girlsDEArizona: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedNMKansas: #94 for girls · 32 births · 1 in 417 girlsKSArkansas: #116 for girls · 35 births · 1 in 442 girlsARTennessee: #233 for girls · 15 births · 1 in 1,429 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #220 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 1,380 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #231 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 1,589 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: #39 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 157 girlsDCOklahoma: #111 for girls · 40 births · 1 in 420 girlsOKLouisiana: #177 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 801 girlsLAMississippi: #232 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 1,276 girlsMSAlabama: #178 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 931 girlsALGeorgia: #222 for girls · 20 births · 1 in 1,451 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedHITexas: #213 for girls · 43 births · 1 in 1,003 girlsTXFlorida: #208 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,050 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. New York#17 · 1 in 83
  2. Wyoming#37 · 1 in 115
  3. District of Columbia#39 · 1 in 157
  4. Wisconsin#47 · 1 in 186
  5. New Jersey#50 · 1 in 213

Best ever in a state: #16 in New York, 1913.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
New York#171,1091 in 83
Wyoming#3781 in 115
District of Columbia#39141 in 157
Wisconsin#471141 in 186
New Jersey#501271 in 213
Connecticut#52561 in 209
Illinois#582161 in 247
Utah#59191 in 212
Maryland#62441 in 273
Pennsylvania#623111 in 281
Massachusetts#641201 in 271
Minnesota#64881 in 226
Oregon#65201 in 234
North Dakota#69281 in 238
West Virginia#69561 in 264
Delaware#7161 in 266
Nebraska#75381 in 276
Michigan#76951 in 293
Montana#77171 in 255
Ohio#781251 in 365
Washington#80261 in 301
Missouri#83781 in 339
Colorado#89191 in 319
South Dakota#91151 in 337
Kansas#94321 in 417
Indiana#99531 in 431
Maine#108141 in 410
California#109411 in 455
Oklahoma#111401 in 420
Rhode Island#11191 in 503
Arkansas#116351 in 442
Iowa#120331 in 576
Idaho#12281 in 385
Kentucky#126431 in 549
New Hampshire#12961 in 523
Virginia#151291 in 793
Louisiana#177211 in 801
Alabama#178251 in 931
Florida#20881 in 1,050
Texas#213431 in 1,003
North Carolina#220211 in 1,380
Georgia#222201 in 1,451
South Carolina#231111 in 1,589
Mississippi#232131 in 1,276
Tennessee#233151 in 1,429
Alaska———
Arizona———
Hawaii———
Nevada———
New Mexico———
Vermont———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the girls born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Sylvia
Momentum · girls
Rising
  • 61 spots since 2024 (#361 → #300)
  • 201 spots since 2020 (#501 → #300)
  • 184 spots since 2015 (#484 → #300)
  • Biggest jump: 66 spots in 2024 (#427 → #361)
  • Biggest drop: 51 spots in 1994 (#372 → #423)
Rise & fade · girls
57 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1937 at #50 (4,371 births)
  • Births halved by 1968, 31 yrs later
Top of the charts · girls
Top 100 for 36 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 36 yrs · run 1932–1952
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · girls
1 in 243
  • Highest: 1 in 243 girls born in 1937 were named Sylvia (0.41%)
  • Latest: 1 in 1,580 girls born in 2025 (0.06%)
Era · girls
The 1950s
  • 16.1% of all girls named Sylvia (39,540) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s1,109#161 (1880)#178
1890s3,025#130 (1899)#145
1900s5,559#93 (1909)#117
1910s25,655#67 (1915)#75
1920s26,841#85 (1920)#104
1930s33,011#50 (1937)#79
1940s37,288#62 (1940)#82
1950s39,540#97 (1951)#105
1960s28,621#121 (1960)#142
1970s12,614#189 (1970)#215
1980s9,323#238 (1983)#270
1990s6,390#322 (1991)#413
2000s5,440#496 (2000)#531
2010s6,046#482 (2017)#510
2020s4,608#300 (2025)#415

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

Sylvia in 1915

girls
#67
3,284 births · 1 in 300 girls
boys
#2,829
8 births · 1 in 106,072 boys

Top girls' names in 1915

  1. #1Mary58,187
  2. #2Helen30,866
  3. #3Dorothy25,154
  4. #4Margaret23,054
  5. #5Ruth21,878
  6. #6Mildred15,254
  7. #7Anna15,119
  8. #8Elizabeth14,103
  9. #9Frances12,786
  10. #10Evelyn11,595
  11. #67Sylvia3,284

Top boys' names in 1915

  1. #1John47,576
  2. #2William38,563
  3. #3James33,773
  4. #4Robert28,737
  5. #5Joseph23,051
  6. #6George22,307
  7. #7Charles21,960
  8. #8Edward15,889
  9. #9Frank15,006
  10. #10Thomas11,490
  11. #2,829Sylvia8
More about 1915

girls

983,852 girls got a published name in 1915; 1 in 300 of them was named Sylvia, which outranked 98.7% of the 4,967 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sylvia
  1. #64Stella3,657
  2. #65Vera3,460
  3. #66Jessie3,356
  4. #67Sylvia3,284
  5. #68Minnie3,270
  6. #69Jane3,264
  7. #70Alma3,248
Biggest movers since 1914
Risers
  1. ↑ 500Gerda#1,444 → #944
  2. ↑ 451Theda#1,034 → #583
  3. ↑ 441Dominga#1,385 → #944
  4. ↑ 354Vernon#1,344 → #990
  5. ↑ 308Loyce#1,147 → #839
Fallers
  1. ↓ 383Drusilla#956 → #1,339
  2. ↓ 342Rossie#798 → #1,140
  3. ↓ 335Arlie#855 → #1,190
  4. ↓ 329Orene#956 → #1,285
  5. ↓ 329Margot#988 → #1,317

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

boys

848,575 boys got a published name in 1915; 1 in 106,072 of them was named Sylvia, which outranked 35.6% of the 4,390 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 30.4% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sylvia
  1. #2,621York9
  2. #2,621Zander9
  3. #2,621Zenon9
  4. #2,829Sylvia8
  5. #2,829Abdon8
  6. #2,829Abie8
  7. #2,829Acel8
  8. #3,082Aage7
  9. #3,082Abelino7
  10. #3,082Acy7

Tied with 252 names at #2,829; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1914
Risers
  1. ↑ 691Eston#1,687 → #996
  2. ↑ 565Estill#1,545 → #980
  3. ↑ 545Garth#1,260 → #715
  4. ↑ 474Hiroshi#1,342 → #868
  5. ↑ 439Domingo#1,101 → #662
Fallers
  1. ↓ 674Gilmore#986 → #1,660
  2. ↓ 667Barnett#933 → #1,600
  3. ↓ 526Rose#884 → #1,410
  4. ↓ 517Toivo#855 → #1,372
  5. ↓ 461Sampson#949 → #1,410

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

See the top 100 for 1915 →