Total births
43,230
Boys' name · since 1880
Sylvester
43,230 babies named Sylvester in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2098
- among boys today
- 43,230
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other boys
Sylvester currently ranks #2098 among boys' names in America, with 43,230 babies recorded since 1880.
Sylvester has 43,230 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2098 as of the latest data, more common than 85% of boys, 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 1880 to 2025.
- #2098 among boys today
- 43,230 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 85% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Sylvester is currently the #2098 boys' name in America, more common than 85% of boys - 43,230 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #2098
- among boys today
- 43,230
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 85%
- more common than other boys
Sylvester vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#2098
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 85% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
16% of everyone ever named Sylvester was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
807 babies were named Sylvester in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
How Sylvester compares
43,230 Top 4% higher than 96% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Sylvester's all-time total is 118x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sylvester | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 43,230 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 807 | 23 | 22,252 |
Sylvester's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Sylvester splits its recorded history at 1953: 36% of all births land in the more recent half, 64% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2020 (52 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 807 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Sylvester at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1920
Current rank
#2,098
Active since
1880
Sylvester popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 807
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sylvester popularity over time - girls
627 total births recorded since 1890 (Sylvester as girls' name)
Sylvester by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Sylvester's strongest decade.
6,861 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Sylvester births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 796
1880s
796 births
- 1890s 971
1890s
971 births
- 1900s 1,343
1900s
1,343 births
- 1910s
1910s
5,420 births
- 1920s
1920s
6,861 births
- 1930s
1930s
5,139 births
- 1940s
1940s
5,361 births
- 1950s
1950s
6,171 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,840 births
- 1970s 2,293
1970s
2,293 births
- 1980s 2,018
1980s
2,018 births
- 1990s 1,212
1990s
1,212 births
- 2000s 735
2000s
735 births
- 2010s 677
2010s
677 births
- 2020s 393
2020s
393 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 6,861 births (16% of all-time use).
How Sylvester compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Sylvester's total volume
Sylvester vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Sylvester by state
Where Sylvester concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Mississippi | | 2,957 | 6.8% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 2,139 | 4.9% |
| #3 | Alabama | | 2,133 | 4.9% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 2,128 | 4.9% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 2,104 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Texas | | 2,055 | 4.8% |
| #7 | Florida | | 1,894 | 4.4% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 1,829 | 4.2% |
Mississippi share of Sylvester's total US births 6.8%
Even split
2,957 of 43,230 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Sylvester appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sylvester? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 43,230 babies named Sylvester. Today it holds rank #2098 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1920, with 807 births.
When was Sylvester most popular? ▼
Sylvester was most popular in the 1920s decade with 6,861 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Sylvester most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Sylvester are Mississippi (2,957 births), Georgia (2,139 births), Alabama (2,133 births).
How long has the name Sylvester been used? ▼
Records for Sylvester go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Sylvester? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Sylas, Sylvan, Sylus, Sylis, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Sylvester's data
- Sylvester's decade-level peak was the 1920s (6,861 total births); usage has since declined to 393 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Mississippi records the most Sylvesters (2,957 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Mississippi names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sylvester
Nearby Names Like Sylvester
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sylvester
Sylas Boy
#486 8,889 births
Sylvan Boy
#1892 3,684 births
Sylus Boy
#2665 1,244 births
Sylis Boy
#3259 1,043 births
Sylvia Boy
908 births
Compare Sylvester side by side: Sylvester vs Sylas Sylvester vs Sylvan Sylvester vs Sylus
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sylvester
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Sylvester: #2098 Boys' Name - 43,230 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/sylvester. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Sylvester 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 June 2026.