Sylvan

Did you know?

A few things about Sylvan you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Sylvan

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

British footballer (born 1986)

Choose Sylvan and your child shares a first name with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, a British footballer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Sylvan, like who?” Sylvan Ebanks-Blake's Wikipedia article is available in 28 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Sylvan Ebanks-Blake on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Æthelred, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 17,241 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Sylvan, 99 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Sylvan would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistorySylvan first shows up in US birth records in 1886, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 139 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1912, when it ranked #552. Today it's #1,668, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowSylvan is 5.2× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 89,286 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 17,241.
• 🚀TrendSylvan has climbed 1,060 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,668. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedSylvan is most popular in Pennsylvania, where it ranks #742, followed by Colorado (#849). It's in the top 1,000 in 2 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlSylvan is given to both boys and girls: 89% of the 111 babies named Sylvan in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningIn Latin, Sylvan means “of the forest”. Our records link it to French and Latin roots.

About the name Sylvan

Sylvan is a boy name of French and Latin origin meaning “of the forest”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with S and ending in “-van”. US birth records list Sylvan for boys from 1886 to 2025, in 130 of those 140 years. Its best year was 1912, when it ranked #552 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,668, with 99 babies.

Origin:French namesLatin names