Girls' name · since 1880
Sylvia
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 245,070 babies named Sylvia, peaking in 1937. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #167 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #300 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 245,070
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Sylvia currently ranks #300 among girls' names in America, with 245,070 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sylvia has been recorded 245,070 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #300 nationally and more common than 98% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1950s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #167 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #300 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 245,070 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Sylvia ranks #167 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #300 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 245,070 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #167 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #300 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 245,070
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Sylvia's 245,070 recorded births place it above 99.76% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Sylvia compares
245,070 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Sylvia's all-time total is 652x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Sylvia | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 245,070 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 4,371 | 21 | 19,840 |
Sylvia's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Sylvia's full recorded timeline at 1953, 41% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 59% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 67 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1937 peak of 4,371 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Sylvia popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1937)
- 4,371
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Sylvia popularity over time - boys
908 total births recorded since 1906 (Sylvia as boys' name)
Sylvia by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (39,540 births, 16% of the file).
1950s was Sylvia's strongest decade.
39,540 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Sylvia births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,109
1880s
1,109 births
- 1890s 3,025
1890s
3,025 births
- 1900s 5,559
1900s
5,559 births
- 1910s
1910s
25,655 births
- 1920s
1920s
26,841 births
- 1930s
1930s
33,011 births
- 1940s
1940s
37,288 births
- 1950s
1950s
39,540 births
- 1960s
1960s
28,621 births
- 1970s 12,614
1970s
12,614 births
- 1980s 9,323
1980s
9,323 births
- 1990s 6,390
1990s
6,390 births
- 2000s 5,440
2000s
5,440 births
- 2010s 6,046
2010s
6,046 births
- 2020s 4,608
2020s
4,608 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 39,540 births (16% of all-time use).
How Sylvia compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Sylvia's total volume
Sylvia by state
Where Sylvia concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 28,034 | 11.4% |
| #2 | New York | | 27,741 | 11.3% |
| #3 | California | | 20,991 | 8.6% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 13,022 | 5.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 10,633 | 4.3% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 9,106 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 7,897 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 6,895 | 2.8% |
28,034 of 245,070 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Sylvia appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Sylvia? ▼
Where does Sylvia sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Sylvia most popular? ▼
Where is Sylvia most popular? ▼
How long has the name Sylvia been used? ▼
What names are similar to Sylvia? ▼
What to do with Sylvia's data
- Sylvia's decade-level peak was the 1950s (39,540 total births); usage has since declined to 4,608 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Sylvias (28,034 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Sylvia
Nearby Names Like Sylvia
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Sylvia
Compare Sylvia side by side: Sylvia vs Sylvie Sylvia vs Sylva Sylvia vs Sylvana
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Sylvia
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Sylvia: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1937)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Sylvia 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.