Feminine dossier · first seen 1880
Sylvia
Resurgent
Gaining cultural share
Peak era
1937
Peak births
4,371
Current vitality
Healthy
Peak generation
Silent Generation
Quick answers about Sylvia
How many people are named Sylvia?
An estimated 104,411 living Americans are named Sylvia.
How rare is Sylvia?
Sylvia is moderately uncommon among babies today, with 1,017 girls receiving the name in 2025, down 76.7% from its 1937 peak.
How old is the typical Sylvia?
The median age of a living American named Sylvia is approximately 62 years, with most bearers falling between 41 and 71 years old.
Is Sylvia still popular?
Yes — Sylvia is currently rising in popularity, with 1,017 births in 2025. Births this decade are running about 1.2× higher than the previous decade.
Where is Sylvia most common?
Sylvia has its strongest geographic signal in Texas, where it appears 4.2× more often than the national baseline.
1880Peak 19372025
Peak year
1937
Decline from peak
76.7%
2025
1,017
All-time
245,070
Where it lives now
Sylvia is most concentrated in Texas — about 4.2× the national rate in the 1960s.
States where Sylvia is given more often than the national average — its present-day heartland.