Head to head · Boys' names
Solomon vs Sylas
#422 vs #440 in 2025
Solomon is a whisker ahead (#422 vs #440 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Solomon is holding its place on the charts, Sylas is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Sylas has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Solomon leads 5 measures of 6; Sylas leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Solomon #239, Sylas — — Solomon higher
- 1890s: Solomon #274, Sylas — — Solomon higher
- 1900s: Solomon #266, Sylas — — Solomon higher
- 1910s: Solomon #263, Sylas — — Solomon higher
- 1920s: Solomon #359, Sylas — — Solomon higher
- 1930s: Solomon #469, Sylas — — Solomon higher
- 1940s: Solomon #515, Sylas — — Solomon higher
- 1950s: Solomon #585, Sylas — — Solomon higher
- 1960s: Solomon #677, Sylas — — Solomon higher
- 1970s: Solomon #612, Sylas #5410 — Solomon higher
- 1980s: Solomon #572, Sylas #5718 — Solomon higher
- 1990s: Solomon #570, Sylas #5213 — Solomon higher
- 2000s: Solomon #459, Sylas #1753 — Solomon higher
- 2010s: Solomon #405, Sylas #643 — Solomon higher
- 2020s: Solomon #422, Sylas #499 — Solomon higher
Solomon stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Solomon | Sylas |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #239 | — |
| 1890s | #274 | — |
| 1900s | #266 | — |
| 1910s | #263 | — |
| 1920s | #359 | — |
| 1930s | #469 | — |
| 1940s | #515 | — |
| 1950s | #585 | — |
| 1960s | #677 | — |
| 1970s | #612 | #5410 |
| 1980s | #572 | #5718 |
| 1990s | #570 | #5213 |
| 2000s | #459 | #1753 |
| 2010s | #405 | #643 |
| 2020s | #422 | #499 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Solomon
Peace
From the Hebrew root shalom, 'peace'. The Hebrew form is Shlomo.
Shlomo → Solomōn → Salomon → Solomon
How it traveled
The name belongs first to the Hebrew Bible, where Shlomo — son of David and Bathsheba — reigns over Israel and builds the Temple in Jerusalem. Greek translators of the Hebrew scriptures rendered it Solomōn, Latin made it Salomon, and that is the shape that reached English.
Sylas
"Of the forest" — or a Greek form of Saul, "asked for"
Silas is usually read as a shortened form of the Latin Silvanus, from silva, "wood, forest" — Paul refers to the same companion as Silvanus in his letters, which supports that route. A second serious reading takes Silas from the Aramaic form of Hebrew Sha'ul (Saul), "asked for, prayed for." Both accounts are held by scholars, and the name is older than the argument.
Silvanus → Σίλας (Silas) → Silas → Sylas
How it traveled
The name enters the record in Greek, in the Acts of the Apostles, where Silas travels with Paul through Asia Minor and Greece and is jailed with him at Philippi. Latin Christianity linked that Silas to Silvanus, a name built on silva, "forest," and the short form stuck.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Solomon
SOL-uh-muhn
Stress on the first syllable. The middle vowel is a light, unstressed 'uh' — in quick speech it can nearly vanish.
- Sol — The standard short form in English, and used on its own as a given name too.
- Solly — Informal and affectionate; long established in Jewish families and in British use.
- Sal — Informal; shared with Salvatore and Sally, so it rarely points back to Solomon on its own.
- Mo — Informal, drawn from the last syllable rather than the first; occasional rather than standard.
Sylas
SY-lus
Stress on the first syllable, which rhymes with "my." The final syllable is a soft -lus, not -lass. The y changes nothing about how it is said.
- Sy — The standard informal short form, used the same way for Silas; also stands alone as a given name, mostly among older generations.
- Si — The same sound with the traditional spelling, common in older English and American records.
- Sylly — A family-only diminutive, the kind that rarely leaves the house.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Solomon if you want…
- a name most people already know#422 in 2025, 767 babies that year
- a name holding steadySolomon is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itSolomon runs 3 syllables, Sylas 2
- a long American recordSolomon was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Sylas if you want…
- a name fewer children share#440 in 2025 — sylas will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name on the way upup 145 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesSylas is 2 syllables to Solomon's 3
- a newer arrivalSylas entered the US charts in 1975
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Solomon
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds, and familiar enough in English that most people write it correctly on the first try.
- Comes with ready-made short forms — Sol, Solly — so it works at both formal and casual length.
- Recognizable across Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, French and Amharic-speaking communities in closely related forms.
To consider
- The biblical king is the reference almost everyone reaches for, and 'the wisdom of Solomon' is a fixed English phrase. The name arrives with that association attached, which some families want and others would rather not hand over.
- It is an unmistakably Old Testament name, and reads as such regardless of a family's own background.
- Three syllables plus a surname makes a mouthful for daily use, so in practice expect Sol to do a lot of the work.
Sylas
Strengths
- Sounds identical to Silas, a name English speakers have known for centuries, so it needs no explaining aloud — only in writing.
- Two syllables with a clear stress on the first: it carries well across a playground and pairs easily with most surnames.
- A documented line back to the Greek of the New Testament, and through Silvanus to Latin.
To consider
- The y is the whole issue. Silas is the spelling most people default to, so expect a lifetime of gentle corrections on forms, emails and coffee cups — manageable, but constant.
- This spelling's wave is very recent, so nearly everyone who has it is still a child. There are no grown-up Sylases to point to yet, which some families like and others find unmoored.
- The spelling also belongs to a character in a widely played video game, which may be the first association some people make now and a dated one later.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Solomon and Sylas in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Solomon and Sylas?
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- Biblical names, from Noah to Naomi
- Founding-era American names
- Names far more common than their rank admits
- all guides
Where Solomon and Sylas each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Solomon or Sylas — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Solomon or Sylas?
- Solomon, in 2025: Solomon ranked #422 with 767 babies; Sylas ranked #440 with 717 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Solomon or Sylas?
- Sylas. Over the last five years Solomon moved down 20 places; Sylas moved up 145 places.
- Which is the older name, Solomon or Sylas?
- Solomon was already in use when US records began in 1880; Sylas entered the US charts in 1975. On the American record, Solomon is the older name.
- How many people are named Solomon and Sylas?
- About 28,000 people named Solomon are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 8,800 people named Sylas are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Solomons or Sylass in the classroom?
- Solomon will almost certainly be the only one in school. Sylas will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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