Sylvania
Feminine · “woodland”
Sylvania is a four-syllable name built on the Latin word for a forest, the same word that closes Pennsylvania. It has a green, rustic grace.
How old is the name Sylvania?
Sylvania first appears in US birth records in 1881 — 144 years ago. The typical Sylvania alive today was born around 1929, making them about 96 years old. About 200 people named Sylvania are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sylvania most popular?
Sylvania peaked in 1881, reaching #740 nationally. See the whole 1881 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From silva to Sylvania
The story of Sylvania
The Romans honored Silvanus, the god of woods and of the boundaries of fields, with shrines at the edge of the forest, and his name and the name Silvia came from silva, a wood. Sylvania, woodland, was a poetic name for a forested country, and it became part of Pennsylvania. As a girl's name in America it may have been meant as a longer Silvia or chosen for the word itself.
Meaningscholars disagree
woodland
From Latin silva, a wood or forest, with a place-name ending. It may have been given as a lengthened Silvia or as the word itself; the record does not say which.
How the name formed
- silva
- Silvia
- Sylvania
Related forms: Silvania · Silvana
Pronouncing Sylvania
sil-VAY-nee-uh
Stress on the second syllable.
Nicknames for Sylvania
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1881
- Most girls named
- 192216 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #740reached in 1881
- Change vs 1988
- −25.0%6 in 1989, from 8
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Sylvania in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Silvania in Latin — related form
- Silvana in Italian — related form
Sylvanias among us
people named Sylvania are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Sylvania sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Its meaning, woodland, is lovely and clear.
- Sylvie and Vania give two short forms.
- People will think of Pennsylvania or Transylvania.
- It is long and will be shortened on forms.
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What they receive
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Sylvania
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Sylvanias are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 200 people named Sylvania are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sylvania in 2025?
- Sylvania is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Sylvania with classmates?
- Sylvania will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More S names
The most-given names starting with S, all years combined.
Susan#1085 · Sarah#90 · Sandra#1207 · Stephanie#557 · Sharon#1250 · Shirley#1581 · Samantha#151 · Sophia#5
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Sylvania? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Sylvania and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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