The first name Sylvester
A boy’s name from Latin meaning “woody”, “rural”, “wood”.
Pronounced /sɪlˈvɛstɚ/ 3 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Latin origin
Sylvester means “woody”, “rural”, “wood” in Latin.
Borrowed from Latin sylvester (“woody, rural”) from silva (“wood”); name of a saint whose feast day falls on December 31.
More names that mean forest.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 8 boys were named Sylvester, making it the 2,664th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2021, with 20 births (#1,290).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Sylvester with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Sylvester at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 64 boys born in the United States were named Sylvester, the 2,224th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1920, when 807 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Sylvester in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Sylvester
- Sly
Other spellings and forms
- Silvester
Famous people named Sylvester
23 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Sylvester StalloneAmerican actor and filmmaker (born 1946)
- Sylvester GrahamAmerican Presbyterian minister and dietary reformer, 1794–1851
- Sylvester GrothGerman actor and tenor, born 1958
- Sylvester StadlerGerman general (1910–1995)
- SylvesterAmerican singer-songwriter, 1947–1988
- Sylvester GozzoliniFounder of the Sylvestrines, 1177–1267
- Sylvester TurnerAmerican attorney, politician (1954–2025)
- Sylvester James GatesAmerican physicist, born 1950
- Sylvester H. RoperAmerican inventor (1823-1896)
- Sylvester WeaverAmerican television executive (1908–2002)
- George Sylvester ViereckGerman-American writer, poet, propagandist (1884-1962)
- Sylvester TerkayAmerican professional wrestler, born 1970
More Latin boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Sylvester mean?
- Sylvester means “woody”, “rural”, “wood” in Latin.
- What is the origin of the name Sylvester?
- Borrowed from Latin sylvester (“woody, rural”) from silva (“wood”); name of a saint whose feast day falls on December 31.
- How popular is the name Sylvester?
- In 2025, 8 boys born in England and Wales were named Sylvester, ranking 2,664th. Its peak was 2021, with 20 births.
- What are nicknames for Sylvester?
- Common nicknames for Sylvester include Sly.
- Is Sylvester a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 99% of the 43,857 US babies named Sylvester since 1880 were boys.
- When was Sylvester most popular?
- 1920 in the United States, when 807 babies were named Sylvester, its highest rank at 174th.
- How do you pronounce Sylvester?
- Sylvester is /sɪlˈvɛstɚ/, 3 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Sylvester?
- Silvester.
- Is Sylvester also a surname?
- Yes. Sylvester is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.