Sylvester
Sylvester was given to 64 boys in 2025, #2,224 among boys’ names; 43,857 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 17,200 Americans named Sylvester and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (39% of everyone recorded); the median is 63 years old and half are between 44 and 73.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Sylvester by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Sylvester mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Sylvester is “a male given name from Latin used in English since the sixteenth century.” Its etymology gives the senses “woody, rural” (sylvester) and “wood” (silva).
Borrowed from Latin sylvester (“woody, rural”) from silva (“wood”); name of a saint whose feast day falls on December 31.
/sɪlˈvɛstɚ/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Sylvester?
#2,224 among boys’ names, 2025
Sylvester fell from #1,999 in 2015 to #2,224 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born fell from 38.1 to 37.5 per million.
819 babies in 1920, the peak
Sylvester peaked in 1920, when 819 babies were given it (807 boys, #174 among boys’ names). The 64 births of 2025 are 8% of that peak.
Births by sex.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 64 | #2,224 | 0.04 |
| 2024 | 71 | #2,114 | 0.04 |
| 2023 | 67 | #2,171 | 0.04 |
| 2022 | 71 | #2,113 | 0.04 |
| 2021 | 68 | #2,127 | 0.04 |
| 2020 | 52 | #2,496 | 0.03 |
| 2019 | 74 | #1,997 | 0.04 |
| 2018 | 66 | #2,138 | 0.04 |
| 2017 | 67 | #2,087 | 0.04 |
| 2016 | 67 | #2,108 | 0.04 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 73 | #1,999 | 0.04 |
| 2014 | 75 | #1,940 | 0.04 |
| 2013 | 76 | #1,875 | 0.04 |
| 2012 | 57 | #2,289 | 0.03 |
| 2011 | 60 | #2,197 | 0.03 |
| 2010 | 62 | #2,165 | 0.03 |
| 2009 | 67 | #2,071 | 0.03 |
| 2008 | 67 | #2,084 | 0.03 |
| 2007 | 62 | #2,182 | 0.03 |
| 2006 | 77 | #1,806 | 0.04 |
| 2005 | 67 | #1,910 | 0.03 |
| 2004 | 64 | #1,927 | 0.03 |
| 2003 | 83 | #1,541 | 0.04 |
| 2002 | 78 | #1,582 | 0.04 |
| 2001 | 80 | #1,521 | 0.04 |
| 2000 | 90 | #1,394 | 0.05 |
| 1999 | 91 | #1,325 | 0.05 |
| 1998 | 80 | #1,428 | 0.04 |
| 1997 | 103 | #1,175 | 0.05 |
| 1996 | 90 | #1,242 | 0.05 |
| 1995 | 121 | #1,010 | 0.06 |
| 1994 | 131 | #962 | 0.07 |
| 1993 | 143 | #898 | 0.07 |
| 1992 | 115 | #1,021 | 0.06 |
| 1991 | 135 | #902 | 0.07 |
| 1990 | 203 | #712 | 0.10 |
| 1989 | 193 | #709 | 0.10 |
| 1988 | 203 | #666 | 0.11 |
| 1987 | 199 | #653 | 0.11 |
| 1986 | 199 | #635 | 0.11 |
| 1985 | 194 | #633 | 0.10 |
| 1984 | 209 | #586 | 0.12 |
| 1983 | 184 | #630 | 0.10 |
| 1982 | 218 | #584 | 0.12 |
| 1981 | 215 | #584 | 0.12 |
| 1980 | 204 | #615 | 0.11 |
| 1979 | 249 | #541 | 0.14 |
| 1978 | 223 | #562 | 0.14 |
| 1977 | 217 | #571 | 0.13 |
| 1976 | 190 | #590 | 0.12 |
| 1975 | 218 | #546 | 0.14 |
| 1974 | 195 | #576 | 0.12 |
| 1973 | 241 | #503 | 0.15 |
| 1972 | 224 | #531 | 0.14 |
| 1971 | 291 | #475 | 0.16 |
| 1970 | 245 | #516 | 0.13 |
| 1969 | 241 | #499 | 0.13 |
| 1968 | 259 | #470 | 0.15 |
| 1967 | 293 | #440 | 0.17 |
| 1966 | 326 | #424 | 0.18 |
| 1965 | 388 | #398 | 0.21 |
| 1964 | 390 | #406 | 0.20 |
| 1963 | 454 | #374 | 0.22 |
| 1962 | 467 | #373 | 0.23 |
| 1961 | 518 | #349 | 0.24 |
| 1960 | 504 | #347 | 0.24 |
| 1959 | 559 | #327 | 0.26 |
| 1958 | 582 | #318 | 0.27 |
| 1957 | 604 | #312 | 0.28 |
| 1956 | 621 | #297 | 0.29 |
| 1955 | 644 | #283 | 0.31 |
| 1954 | 640 | #278 | 0.31 |
| 1953 | 635 | #276 | 0.32 |
| 1952 | 603 | #281 | 0.31 |
| 1951 | 640 | #266 | 0.34 |
| 1950 | 643 | #256 | 0.36 |
| 1949 | 588 | #278 | 0.33 |
| 1948 | 600 | #271 | 0.34 |
| 1947 | 596 | #282 | 0.33 |
| 1946 | 538 | #278 | 0.33 |
| 1945 | 508 | #258 | 0.38 |
| 1944 | 534 | #251 | 0.39 |
| 1943 | 501 | #272 | 0.35 |
| 1942 | 498 | #267 | 0.36 |
| 1941 | 538 | #237 | 0.44 |
| 1940 | 460 | #258 | 0.40 |
| 1939 | 472 | #244 | 0.43 |
| 1938 | 503 | #237 | 0.45 |
| 1937 | 476 | #244 | 0.45 |
| 1936 | 482 | #237 | 0.46 |
| 1935 | 529 | #224 | 0.51 |
| 1934 | 497 | #232 | 0.48 |
| 1933 | 495 | #232 | 0.50 |
| 1932 | 561 | #216 | 0.54 |
| 1931 | 525 | #226 | 0.50 |
| 1930 | 599 | #217 | 0.55 |
| 1929 | 570 | #224 | 0.53 |
| 1928 | 599 | #221 | 0.54 |
| 1927 | 611 | #218 | 0.54 |
| 1926 | 688 | #201 | 0.62 |
| 1925 | 691 | #204 | 0.62 |
| 1924 | 708 | #198 | 0.63 |
| 1923 | 725 | #191 | 0.66 |
| 1922 | 707 | #194 | 0.65 |
| 1921 | 755 | #185 | 0.69 |
| 1920 | 807 | #174 | 0.76 |
| 1919 | 749 | #173 | 0.76 |
| 1918 | 766 | #172 | 0.76 |
| 1917 | 715 | #175 | 0.77 |
| 1916 | 715 | #172 | 0.80 |
| 1915 | 706 | #163 | 0.83 |
| 1914 | 538 | #164 | 0.82 |
| 1913 | 464 | #157 | 0.91 |
| 1912 | 348 | #167 | 0.81 |
| 1911 | 219 | #154 | 1.0 |
| 1910 | 200 | #156 | 1.0 |
| 1909 | 151 | #164 | 0.92 |
| 1908 | 166 | #143 | 1.1 |
| 1907 | 151 | #149 | 1.0 |
| 1906 | 125 | #159 | 0.94 |
| 1905 | 126 | #162 | 1.0 |
| 1904 | 124 | #155 | 1.0 |
| 1903 | 114 | #156 | 1.0 |
| 1902 | 135 | #141 | 1.1 |
| 1901 | 120 | #139 | 1.1 |
| 1900 | 131 | #160 | 0.87 |
| 1899 | 94 | #163 | 0.89 |
| 1898 | 115 | #148 | 0.94 |
| 1897 | 111 | #144 | 1.0 |
| 1896 | 111 | #149 | 0.93 |
| 1895 | 99 | #158 | 0.84 |
| 1894 | 101 | #152 | 0.87 |
| 1893 | 85 | #170 | 0.76 |
| 1892 | 98 | #162 | 0.80 |
| 1891 | 64 | #197 | 0.63 |
| 1890 | 93 | #153 | 0.84 |
| 1889 | 112 | #127 | 1.0 |
| 1888 | 83 | #180 | 0.69 |
| 1887 | 71 | #179 | 0.70 |
| 1886 | 73 | #187 | 0.66 |
| 1885 | 82 | #164 | 0.76 |
| 1884 | 67 | #201 | 0.59 |
| 1883 | 69 | #177 | 0.66 |
| 1882 | 74 | #183 | 0.65 |
| 1881 | 76 | #161 | 0.75 |
| 1880 | 89 | #153 | 0.81 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Sylvester a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Of the 43,857 Americans recorded as Sylvester, 1% are girls and 99% boys. In 2025 it went to 64 boys; SSA lists no girls with it that year (fewer than 5, or none).
Years with fewer than 20 babies given the name are left blank.
Girls and boys named Sylvester: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Sylvester, and how old are they?
17,200 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 39% of the 43,857 Americans ever recorded as Sylvester. The median Sylvester alive today is 63 years old; half are between 44 and 73.
The 2020 Census counted 15,812 people named Sylvester (77 women and girls, 15,735 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 19,579 born in the U.S. The Census count is 19% below that prediction. Possible reasons: people who give a short form or another name to the Census, and a survival estimate that can run high.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 1,800 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 7,130 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 3,540 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 2,610 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,170 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 884 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Sylvester born?
The states with the most babies named Sylvester are Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama, with 20% of its births recorded by state since 1910; Mississippi and Alabama are not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 2,957 | not ranked | 4.1× |
| Georgia | 2,139 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Alabama | 2,138 | not ranked | 2.2× |
| Illinois | 2,128 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| Pennsylvania | 2,104 | #1,415 | 0.7× |
| Texas | 2,055 | not ranked | 0.8× |
| Florida | 1,894 | #1,808 | 2.1× |
| North Carolina | 1,829 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| New York | 1,827 | #2,007 | 0.5× |
| South Carolina | 1,404 | not ranked | 1.9× |
Where Sylvester is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Sylvester is most over-represented in Mississippi: since 1910 it was given 4.1 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Sylvester with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 3 names spelled alike, given to 45,314 babies since 1880, Sylvester is the most given (97% of them). In 2025 it was given to 64 of their 64 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Sylvester
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Sylvester and names like it
- Compare Sylvester and SilvesterBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sSylvester peaked in 1920.
- Mississippi’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Sylvester since 1910.
- Latin namesWiktionary’s origin for Sylvester: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1920The year the most babies were named Sylvester.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Sylvester alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with SMost given first.