Girls' name · peaked in 1937
Sylvia name popularity since 1925
195,324 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Sylvia. Half of them were born in 1954 or earlier, so the typical Sylvia is about 72 years old in 2026. Sylvia peaked in 1937 as the #50 name for girls, and it ranked #300 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 195,324
- Named Sylvia, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #300
- for girls in 2025 (1,017 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% girls
- 194,552 girls · 772 boys
- Most popular in
- New Mexico
- 1.92× its national share
Peak year is the year Sylvia made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Sylvia births per year, 1925–2025
1937 was the biggest year for Sylvia both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1931 and 1936, Sylvia became 2.2× more common.
- Steepest fall: Between 1965 and 1970, its share of baby girls fell by 41%, from 1 in 596 to 1 in 1,010.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Sylvia's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Sylvia.
Decade by decade
Babies named Sylvia in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 11,671 | 73 | – |
| 1930s | 33,011 | 164 | #60 |
| 1940s | 37,288 | 134 | #83 |
| 1950s | 39,540 | 116 | #107 |
| 1960s | 28,621 | 129 | #131 |
| 1970s | 12,614 | 68 | #215 |
| 1980s | 9,323 | 78 | #271 |
| 1990s | 6,390 | 10 | #436 |
| 2000s | 5,440 | 0 | #529 |
| 2010s | 6,046 | 0 | #484 |
| 2020–25 | 4,608 | 0 | #300 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
37.2% of babies named Sylvia from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Sylvia is most popular
The index compares Sylvia's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Sylvia.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico | 1.92× | 2,057 |
| Texas | 1.79× | 27,284 |
| South Carolina | 1.73× | 4,703 |
| North Carolina | 1.59× | 8,775 |
| District of Columbia | 1.52× | 1,364 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Sylvia and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Sylvia (this page) | 194,552 | 1937 |
| Silvia | 20,549 | 1974 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Sylvia's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Sylvia.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Sylvia (1937).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data