# Silvanus (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/silvanus/  
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 | Latin |
| Meaning | “forest” |
| Pronunciation | /sɪlˈveɪnəs/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Sylvanus |
| US babies named this | 44 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 44 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | not in the ONS data |

## Etymology

From Latin Silvānus, a Latin cognomen, from silva (“forest”). The name Silas, from the early Christian apostle, was Latinized as Silvānus by Paul. Doublet of Silenus.

## What it means

Silvanus is grouped under forest.

## 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, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 5 | 9,611 |
| 2013 | 5 | 13,772 |
| 2020 | 6 | 11,824 |
| 2021 | 9 | 8,733 |
| 2023 | 6 | 12,041 |
| 2024 | 5 | 13,948 |
| 2025 | 8 | 9,588 |

## In other languages

- French: Sylvain
- Greek: Σιλουανός
- Italian: Silvano

## People named Silvanus

- Silvanus P. Thompson, British academic physicist (1851-1916)

## 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.