# Silvia (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/silvia/  
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 | girls |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “forest” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈsɪlvi.ə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Sylvia |
| US babies named this | 21,323 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 51 / 21,272 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 352, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Feminine form of Silvius, from Latin silva (“forest”). In myths, Rhea Silvia was the mother of famous twins Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. 6th-century saint Silvia was the mother of the pope Gregory the Great.

## What it means

Silvia 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, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 188 | 1,271 |
| 2012 | 184 | 1,295 |
| 2013 | 187 | 1,271 |
| 2014 | 199 | 1,232 |
| 2015 | 170 | 1,393 |
| 2016 | 171 | 1,379 |
| 2017 | 144 | 1,533 |
| 2018 | 160 | 1,403 |
| 2019 | 182 | 1,279 |
| 2020 | 157 | 1,397 |
| 2021 | 164 | 1,352 |
| 2022 | 163 | 1,404 |
| 2023 | 163 | 1,385 |
| 2024 | 207 | 1,162 |
| 2025 | 182 | 1,240 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 5 | 4,455 |
| 1979 | 5 | 6,939 |
| 1982 | 5 | 7,228 |
| 1984 | 7 | 5,492 |
| 1985 | 13 | 3,572 |
| 1986 | 5 | 7,677 |
| 1988 | 5 | 8,331 |
| 1994 | 6 | 8,656 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 14 | 1,903 |
| 2012 | 15 | 1,893 |
| 2013 | 20 | 1,537 |
| 2014 | 19 | 1,562 |
| 2015 | 16 | 1,783 |
| 2016 | 11 | 2,367 |
| 2017 | 10 | 2,502 |
| 2018 | 8 | 2,901 |
| 2019 | 15 | 1,854 |
| 2020 | 21 | 1,449 |
| 2021 | 15 | 1,866 |
| 2022 | 12 | 2,178 |
| 2023 | 18 | 1,640 |
| 2024 | 18 | 1,672 |
| 2025 | 12 | 2,278 |

## In other languages

- Catalan: Sílvia
- Chinese: 西尔维娅
- Czech: Silvie
- Danish: Sylvia
- Estonian: Silvia
- Finnish: Sylvia
- French: Sylvie
- German: Silvia, Sylvia
- Greek: Σίλβια
- Hungarian: Szilvia
- Italian: Silvia
- Latvian: Silvija
- Norwegian: Sylvia
- Polish: Sylwia
- Portuguese: Sílvia
- Russian: Си́львия
- Spanish: Silvia
- Swedish: Sylvia

## People named Silvia

- Silvia Saint, Czech pornographic actress
- Silvia Neid, German football player and manager
- Silvia Munt, Catalan actress and director
- Silvia Poll, Costa Rican swimmer
- Silvia Chivás, Cuban athletics competitor (born 1954)
- Silvia Costa, Cuban high jumper
- Silvia Fröhlich, East German rower
- Silvia Legrand, Argentine actress (1927-2322)
- Sílvia Pfeifer, Brazilian actress
- Silvia Meseguer, footballer
- Silvia Abril, actress
- Silvia Andrea Santos Luz, Brazilian basketball player (born 1975)

## 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.