Girl name · Latin
Sylvia
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: of the forestSylvia is a girl's name that comes from Latin and means "of the forest". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Of the forest
- Origin
- Latin
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #300 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Sylvia
As a girl's name, Sylvia comes from Latin and means "of the forest". It is used in English.
Its meaning puts Sylvia on our nature names list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Sylvia on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Sylvia on 1 list.
“Of the forest; Latin, the usual English spelling of Silvia”
From Nature names, tree and forest names
How popular is Sylvia?
- US rank in 2025
- #300
- 1,017 babies, 633 per million girls
- Best rank
- #50 in 1937
- 4,371 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 245,070
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 845 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 1,362 per million |
| 1900s | 1,899 per million |
| 1910s | 3,145 per million |
| 1920s | 2,246 per million |
| 1930s | 3,096 per million |
| 1940s | 2,574 per million |
| 1950s | 2,056 per million |
| 1960s | 1,567 per million |
| 1970s | 816 per million |
| 1980s | 543 per million |
| 1990s | 355 per million |
| 2000s | 294 per million |
| 2010s | 345 per million |
| 2020s | 474 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #502 | #483 | #492 | #511 | #502 | #467 | #439 | #427 | #361 | #300 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Sylvia
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
Names spelled like Sylvia
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- SelviCypress (Turkish, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- SilvioOf the forest (Latin, boy)
- ForrestOf the forest (Old French, boy)
- LinForest; fine jade (depends on characters) (Chinese, unisex)
- OihanForest (Basque, boy)
- SilvestreOf the forest (Latin, boy)
Middle names for Sylvia
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Latin
- LauraLaurel tree (Latin, girl)
- OliviaOlive tree (Latin, girl)
- CarinaDear, beloved (Latin, girl)
- EmiliaRival, striving to equal (Latin, girl)
- FloraFlower, blossom (Latin, girl)
- MarinaOf the sea (Latin, girl)
- ReginaQueen (Latin, girl)
- ValentinaStrong, healthy (Latin, girl)
- CelesteHeavenly, of the sky (Latin, girl)
- ClaraClear, bright (Latin, girl)
- DianaDivine, heavenly (Latin, girl)
- JulianaFeminine form of Julian, from the Roman family name Julius (Latin, girl)
- LuciaLight, brightness (Latin, girl)
- RosaRose flower (Latin, girl)
- SabinaSabine woman (Latin, girl)
- AlmaSoul, nourishing (Latin, girl)
- AmandaWorthy of love (Latin, girl)
- AureliaGolden (Latin, girl)
Sylvia: common questions
What does the name Sylvia mean?
Sylvia comes from Latin and means "of the forest".
Is Sylvia a boy or girl name?
Sylvia is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Sylvia come from?
Sylvia comes from Latin and means "of the forest". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Sylvia?
Sylvia ranked #300 in the US in 2025, with 1,017 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Sylvia?
Forms of Sylvia with the same meaning and origin include Selva (Spanish), Silvia (Italian), Sylvie (French) and Sylwia (Polish).
What middle names go with Sylvia?
Middle names that flow well with Sylvia include Amber, Ione, Ivy, Jane and Leigh. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.