Sylvester
How to say it: sil-VES-tur · /sɪlˈvɛstər/
From Latin 'silvester' (of the forest, wooded); from 'silva' (forest). Borne by several popes and saints.
Sylvester was the 1,774th most popular boys’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 64 babies (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1900s, its births are down about 12% in ten years, and it is projected to rise to #1,742 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among boys’ names, 2025 | #1,774 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 | 64 |
| Share of births | 1 in 51,802 |
| Peak decade | 1900s |
| Change over 10 years | −12% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #1,742 |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Sylvester peaked in the 1900s.
What goes with it
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Sylvester is about under 1 in 200.
Around the world
This spelling is used in Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Swedish.
Famous people named Sylvester
- Sylvester Stallone (born 1946)American actor and filmmaker
- Sylvester McCoy (born 1943)Scottish actor
- Sylvester Groth (born 1958)German actor and tenor
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
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