Sylvia has been given to about 245,978 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1937, which makes it a interwar name.
Sylvia ranks 300th among American girls in 2025, with 1,017 born that year. Its best year was 1937, when 4,389 babies were given the name, ranking 50th. The typical living American called Sylvia is about 68 years old today. It is relatively most common in Rhode Island, where it accounts for 0.11% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.