# Silas (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/silas/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Aramaic |
| Meaning | “saul” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsaɪ.ləs/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Si, Sy |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 75,649 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 75,465 / 184 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,026, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Latin Sīlās, from Ancient Greek Σίλας (Sílas), from Aramaic שְׁאִילָא (šəʾīlā), cognate of Hebrew שָׁאוּל (šāʾūl, “Saul”). Doublet of Saul.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 11 | 10,576 |
| 2012 | 6 | 16,569 |
| 2013 | 5 | 18,897 |
| 2014 | 5 | 18,857 |
| 2015 | 9 | 11,711 |
| 2016 | 9 | 11,661 |
| 2017 | 14 | 8,240 |
| 2018 | 15 | 7,717 |
| 2019 | 12 | 9,041 |
| 2020 | 11 | 9,458 |
| 2021 | 14 | 7,979 |
| 2022 | 20 | 6,186 |
| 2023 | 18 | 6,637 |
| 2024 | 16 | 7,214 |
| 2025 | 7 | 12,991 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,118 | 183 |
| 2012 | 2,497 | 160 |
| 2013 | 3,413 | 116 |
| 2014 | 2,937 | 137 |
| 2015 | 3,191 | 128 |
| 2016 | 3,417 | 119 |
| 2017 | 3,340 | 120 |
| 2018 | 3,518 | 110 |
| 2019 | 3,566 | 105 |
| 2020 | 3,645 | 100 |
| 2021 | 3,916 | 91 |
| 2022 | 4,032 | 87 |
| 2023 | 4,105 | 80 |
| 2024 | 4,127 | 81 |
| 2025 | 4,639 | 71 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 24 | 1,087 |
| 2012 | 29 | 977 |
| 2013 | 31 | 931 |
| 2014 | 33 | 889 |
| 2015 | 31 | 950 |
| 2016 | 21 | 1,271 |
| 2017 | 36 | 861 |
| 2018 | 39 | 810 |
| 2019 | 55 | 642 |
| 2020 | 47 | 706 |
| 2021 | 47 | 729 |
| 2022 | 56 | 632 |
| 2023 | 48 | 710 |
| 2024 | 85 | 468 |
| 2025 | 66 | 585 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 賽拉斯 /赛拉斯
- Danish: Silas
- Dutch: Silas
- Latin: Sīlās
- Portuguese: Silas
- Spanish: Silas

## People named Silas

- Silas Weir Mitchell, American actor
- Silas Katompa Mvumpa, DR Congolese footballer
- Silas Carson, English actor
- Silas Weir Mitchell, American physician (1829–1914)
- Silas Deane, American politician (1737-1789)
- Silas Wright, American politician (1795-1847)
- Silas Atopare, 7th governor-general of Papua New Guinea (1951–2021)
- Silas Gnaka, association football player
- Silas Araújo da Silva, Brazilian footballer
- Silas Aaron Hardoon, Chinese Jewish businessman
- Silas Garber, American politician (1833-1905)
- Silas A. Holcomb, American politician (1858-1920)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.