Unisex name · since 1903
Sylvesta
Sylvesta has 45 recorded births since 1903 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1903 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #36,305 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 45
- born since 1903
- 1920s
- peak decade
Sylvesta is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 45 have been recorded since 1903.
Sylvesta has 45 recorded births among girls since 1903, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1903 to 1928.
- #36,305 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 45 born since 1903
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sylvesta ranks #36,305 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 45 born since 1903, peaking in the 1920s.
- #36,305 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 45
- born since 1903
- 1920s
- peak decade
Sylvesta's 45 recorded births place it above 49.76% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Sylvesta's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sylvesta splits its recorded history at 1919: 60% of all births land in the more recent half, 40% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1916 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1903 peak of 7 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sylvesta popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1903–1928
- Peak year (1903)
- 7
- Annual births at peak, across 26 years of records
Sylvesta popularity over time - boys
26 total births recorded since 1919 (Sylvesta as boys' name)
Sylvesta by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (21 births, 47% of the file).
1920s was Sylvesta's strongest decade.
21 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 47% of all-time use.
Sylvesta births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 7
1900s
7 births
- 1910s
1910s
17 births
- 1920s
1920s
21 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 21 births (47% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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Keep exploring Sylvesta
Nearby Names Like Sylvesta
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sylvesta
Compare Sylvesta side by side: Sylvesta vs Sylvia Sylvesta vs Sylvie Sylvesta vs Sylva
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sylvesta: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1903)
Similar record span (~25 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1903–1928 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Sylvesta draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.