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#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020202000peak #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 2000

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedAKMaine: #162 for girls · 7 births · 1 in 643 girlsMEVermont: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedNHWashington: #502 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 2,669 girlsWAIdaho: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedIDMontana: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedNDMinnesota: #505 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 3,204 girlsMNIllinois: #371 for girls · 36 births · 1 in 1,979 girlsILWisconsin: #388 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 2,125 girlsWIMichigan: #484 for girls · 18 births · 1 in 2,891 girlsMINew York: #529 for girls · 31 births · 1 in 3,240 girlsNYMassachusetts: #366 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 2,243 girlsMARhode Island: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedRIOregon: #396 for girls · 9 births · 1 in 1,829 girlsORNevada: #433 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,901 girlsNVWyoming: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedSDIowa: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedIAIndiana: #355 for girls · 17 births · 1 in 1,959 girlsINOhio: #444 for girls · 21 births · 1 in 2,952 girlsOHPennsylvania: #392 for girls · 25 births · 1 in 2,323 girlsPANew Jersey: #717 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 5,220 girlsNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedCTCalifornia: #580 for girls · 62 births · 1 in 3,610 girlsCAUtah: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedUTColorado: #378 for girls · 14 births · 1 in 1,720 girlsCONebraska: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedNEMissouri: #416 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 2,452 girlsMOKentucky: #327 for girls · 11 births · 1 in 1,860 girlsKYWest Virginia: #297 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 1,454 girlsWVVirginia: #470 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 2,733 girlsVAMaryland: #515 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 3,075 girlsMDDelaware: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedDEArizona: #428 for girls · 16 births · 1 in 1,996 girlsAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedNMKansas: #354 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 1,668 girlsKSArkansas: #478 for girls · 5 births · 1 in 2,433 girlsARTennessee: #439 for girls · 12 births · 1 in 2,596 girlsTNNorth Carolina: #551 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 3,468 girlsNCSouth Carolina: #417 for girls · 8 births · 1 in 2,113 girlsSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #541 for girls · 6 births · 1 in 2,796 girlsOKLouisiana: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedLAMississippi: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedMSAlabama: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedALGeorgia: #602 for girls · 13 births · 1 in 3,697 girlsGAHawaii: fewer than 5 girls named Sylvia, so not publishedHITexas: #454 for girls · 58 births · 1 in 2,641 girlsTXFlorida: #509 for girls · 24 births · 1 in 3,221 girlsFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · girls
  1. Maine#162 · 1 in 643
  2. West Virginia#297 · 1 in 1,454
  3. Kentucky#327 · 1 in 1,860
  4. Kansas#354 · 1 in 1,668
  5. Indiana#355 · 1 in 1,959

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

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Maine#16271 in 643
West Virginia#29751 in 1,454
Kentucky#327111 in 1,860
Kansas#35481 in 1,668
Indiana#355171 in 1,959
Massachusetts#366141 in 2,243
Illinois#371361 in 1,979
Colorado#378141 in 1,720
Wisconsin#388121 in 2,125
Pennsylvania#392251 in 2,323
Oregon#39691 in 1,829
Missouri#416121 in 2,452
South Carolina#41781 in 2,113
Arizona#428161 in 1,996
Nevada#43351 in 1,901
Tennessee#439121 in 2,596
Ohio#444211 in 2,952
Texas#454581 in 2,641
Virginia#470131 in 2,733
Arkansas#47851 in 2,433
Michigan#484181 in 2,891
Washington#502111 in 2,669
Minnesota#50581 in 3,204
Florida#509241 in 3,221
Maryland#51581 in 3,075
New York#529311 in 3,240
Oklahoma#54161 in 2,796
North Carolina#551131 in 3,468
California#580621 in 3,610
Georgia#602131 in 3,697
New Jersey#71781 in 5,220
Alabama———
Alaska———
Connecticut———
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Hawaii———
Idaho———
Iowa———
Louisiana———
Mississippi———
Montana———
Nebraska———
New Hampshire———
New Mexico———
North Dakota———
Rhode Island———
South Dakota———
Utah———
Vermont———
Wyoming———

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 2000

girls
#496
542 births · 1 in 3,351 girls

Top girls' names in 2000

  1. #1Emily25,959
  2. #2Hannah23,087
  3. #3Madison19,968
  4. #4Ashley18,000
  5. #5Sarah17,715
  6. #6Alexis17,631
  7. #7Samantha17,265
  8. #8Jessica15,711
  9. #9Elizabeth15,117
  10. #10Taylor15,080
  11. #496Sylvia542
More about 2000

girls

1,816,036 girls got a published name in 2000; 1 in 3,351 of them was named Sylvia, which outranked 97.2% of the 17,660 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 10.2% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Sylvia
  1. #493Ann546
  2. #493Deborah546
  3. #495Nichole545
  4. #496Sylvia542
  5. #496Jayden542
  6. #498Alanna541
  7. #498Malia541
  8. #500Angie540

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1999
Risers
  1. ↑ 2,528Laisha#3,509 → #981
  2. ↑ 2,131Litzy#2,527 → #396
  3. ↑ 2,096Cielo#2,991 → #895
  4. ↑ 1,864Yamilet#2,703 → #839
  5. ↑ 1,775Nyah#2,567 → #792
Fallers
  1. ↓ 560Tatyanna#951 → #1,511
  2. ↓ 529Jailene#506 → #1,035
  3. ↓ 431Shanice#727 → #1,158
  4. ↓ 384Chantal#921 → #1,305
  5. ↓ 348Infant#658 → #1,006

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

See the top 100 for 2000 →