Meaning not yet researched.
Sylvester: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 64 in 2025. Its best rank was #127 in 1889.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #127 in 1889; #2,224 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Sylvester in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#2,224 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1889, at #127.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Sylvester: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 64 boys in 2025. Peak: #127 in 1889 · most boys in one year: 807 (1920).
In 2025, 64 US boys were named Sylvester, making it the 2,224th most common boys’ name of the year, down 110 places from #2,114 in 2024. That is 7 fewer than the 71 boys named Sylvester in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #127, reached in 1889. The most boys given the name in a single year was 807, in 1920. For comparison, it was #1,999 in 2015 and #256 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Sylvester in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 89 babies with the name. In all, 43,857 US babies have been given the name, 1.4% of them girls and 99% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 7,028 babies named Sylvester.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 667 US boys were named Sylvester; the busiest of those years was 2019, with 74. In 2025 that was about 1 in 26,689 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Sylvester ranked highest in Pennsylvania in 2025, at #1,415 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Rarer spellings such as Silvester, Sylvestre and Silvestro are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Si, Sly, Sy, Syl, Vessie and Vester.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
No related spellings pass our data threshold.
Rare spellings summarised here: Silvester (1,306), Sylvestre (96), Silvestro (10).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 47 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 5 | #1,415 | — |
| Florida | 6 | #1,808 | — |
| California | 9 | #1,812 | #2,020 |
| New York | 5 | #2,007 | — |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 64 | #2,224 |
| 2024 | — | — | 71 | #2,114 |
| 2023 | — | — | 67 | #2,172 |
| 2022 | — | — | 71 | #2,114 |
| 2021 | — | — | 68 | #2,128 |
| 2020 | — | — | 52 | #2,497 |
| 2019 | — | — | 74 | #1,998 |
| 2018 | — | — | 66 | #2,139 |
| 2017 | — | — | 67 | #2,087 |
| 2016 | — | — | 67 | #2,108 |
| 2015 | — | — | 73 | #1,999 |
| 2014 | — | — | 75 | #1,941 |
| 2013 | — | — | 76 | #1,876 |
| 2012 | — | — | 57 | #2,290 |
| 2011 | — | — | 60 | #2,198 |
| 2010 | — | — | 62 | #2,166 |
| 2009 | — | — | 67 | #2,072 |
| 2008 | — | — | 67 | #2,085 |
| 2007 | — | — | 62 | #2,182 |
| 2006 | — | — | 77 | #1,806 |
| 2005 | — | — | 67 | #1,914 |
| 2004 | — | — | 64 | #1,931 |
| 2003 | — | — | 83 | #1,544 |
| 2002 | — | — | 78 | #1,585 |
| 2001 | — | — | 80 | #1,525 |
| 2000 | — | — | 90 | #1,398 |
| 1999 | — | — | 91 | #1,328 |
| 1998 | — | — | 80 | #1,431 |
| 1997 | — | — | 103 | #1,178 |
| 1996 | — | — | 90 | #1,244 |
| 1995 | — | — | 121 | #1,013 |
| 1994 | — | — | 131 | #966 |
| 1993 | — | — | 143 | #900 |
| 1992 | — | — | 115 | #1,024 |
| 1991 | — | — | 135 | #906 |
| 1990 | — | — | 203 | #715 |
| 1989 | — | — | 193 | #712 |
| 1988 | — | — | 203 | #666 |
| 1987 | — | — | 199 | #653 |
| 1986 | — | — | 199 | #635 |
| 1985 | — | — | 194 | #633 |
| 1984 | — | — | 209 | #586 |
| 1983 | — | — | 184 | #630 |
| 1982 | — | — | 218 | #584 |
| 1981 | 6 | #10,241 | 215 | #584 |
| 1980 | — | — | 204 | #615 |
| 1979 | — | — | 249 | #541 |
| 1978 | — | — | 223 | #562 |
| 1977 | — | — | 217 | #571 |
| 1976 | — | — | 190 | #590 |
| 1975 | — | — | 218 | #546 |
| 1974 | — | — | 195 | #576 |
| 1973 | — | — | 241 | #503 |
| 1972 | 5 | #9,457 | 224 | #531 |
| 1971 | 7 | #7,273 | 291 | #475 |
| 1970 | 7 | #6,976 | 245 | #516 |
| 1969 | — | — | 241 | #499 |
| 1968 | 5 | #8,046 | 259 | #470 |
| 1967 | 7 | #5,972 | 293 | #440 |
| 1966 | — | — | 326 | #424 |
| 1965 | — | — | 388 | #398 |
| 1964 | — | — | 390 | #406 |
| 1963 | 7 | #5,824 | 454 | #374 |
| 1962 | 5 | #7,453 | 467 | #373 |
| 1961 | — | — | 518 | #349 |
| 1960 | 5 | #7,191 | 504 | #347 |
| 1959 | 8 | #4,985 | 559 | #327 |
| 1958 | — | — | 582 | #318 |
| 1957 | — | — | 604 | #312 |
| 1956 | 6 | #5,881 | 621 | #297 |
| 1955 | 10 | #4,029 | 644 | #283 |
| 1954 | 7 | #5,094 | 640 | #278 |
| 1953 | 9 | #4,197 | 635 | #276 |
| 1952 | 7 | #4,867 | 603 | #281 |
| 1951 | — | — | 640 | #266 |
| 1950 | 12 | #3,214 | 643 | #256 |
| 1949 | — | — | 588 | #278 |
| 1948 | 8 | #4,172 | 600 | #271 |
| 1947 | 5 | #6,031 | 596 | #282 |
| 1946 | — | — | 538 | #278 |
| 1945 | 6 | #4,499 | 508 | #258 |
| 1944 | — | — | 534 | #251 |
| 1943 | 9 | #3,463 | 501 | #272 |
| 1942 | — | — | 498 | #267 |
| 1941 | 9 | #3,227 | 538 | #237 |
| 1940 | 7 | #3,828 | 460 | #258 |
| 1939 | 14 | #2,291 | 472 | #244 |
| 1938 | 7 | #3,810 | 503 | #237 |
| 1937 | 9 | #3,124 | 476 | #244 |
| 1936 | — | — | 482 | #237 |
| 1935 | 11 | #2,716 | 529 | #224 |
| 1934 | 11 | #2,720 | 497 | #232 |
| 1933 | 9 | #3,090 | 495 | #232 |
| 1932 | 10 | #3,025 | 561 | #216 |
| 1931 | 9 | #3,193 | 525 | #226 |
| 1930 | 14 | #2,409 | 599 | #217 |
| 1929 | 15 | #2,292 | 570 | #224 |
| 1928 | 15 | #2,369 | 599 | #221 |
| 1927 | 16 | #2,328 | 611 | #218 |
| 1926 | 27 | #1,618 | 688 | #201 |
| 1925 | 13 | #2,758 | 691 | #204 |
| 1924 | 18 | #2,200 | 708 | #198 |
| 1923 | 21 | #1,938 | 725 | #191 |
| 1922 | 13 | #2,756 | 707 | #194 |
| 1921 | 17 | #2,272 | 755 | #185 |
| 1920 | 12 | #2,875 | 807 | #174 |
| 1919 | 22 | #1,795 | 749 | #173 |
| 1918 | 20 | #1,952 | 766 | #172 |
| 1917 | 24 | #1,600 | 715 | #175 |
| 1916 | 9 | #3,225 | 715 | #172 |
| 1915 | 9 | #3,109 | 706 | #163 |
| 1914 | 9 | #2,610 | 538 | #164 |
| 1913 | 8 | #2,516 | 464 | #157 |
| 1912 | 5 | #3,380 | 348 | #167 |
| 1911 | 6 | #2,434 | 219 | #154 |
| 1910 | 10 | #1,617 | 200 | #156 |
| 1909 | 6 | #2,193 | 151 | #164 |
| 1908 | 9 | #1,531 | 166 | #143 |
| 1907 | 8 | #1,624 | 151 | #149 |
| 1906 | 8 | #1,543 | 125 | #159 |
| 1905 | — | — | 126 | #162 |
| 1904 | 11 | #1,162 | 124 | #155 |
| 1903 | 5 | #2,055 | 114 | #156 |
| 1902 | 6 | #1,768 | 135 | #141 |
| 1901 | 8 | #1,322 | 120 | #139 |
| 1900 | 7 | #1,710 | 131 | #160 |
| 1899 | — | — | 94 | #163 |
| 1898 | — | — | 115 | #148 |
| 1897 | — | — | 111 | #144 |
| 1896 | — | — | 111 | #149 |
| 1895 | — | — | 99 | #158 |
| 1894 | 7 | #1,338 | 101 | #152 |
| 1893 | — | — | 85 | #170 |
| 1892 | 6 | #1,431 | 98 | #162 |
| 1891 | — | — | 64 | #197 |
| 1890 | 6 | #1,324 | 93 | #153 |
| 1889 | — | — | 112 | #127 |
| 1888 | — | — | 83 | #180 |
| 1887 | — | — | 71 | #179 |
| 1886 | — | — | 73 | #187 |
| 1885 | — | — | 82 | #164 |
| 1884 | — | — | 67 | #201 |
| 1883 | — | — | 69 | #177 |
| 1882 | — | — | 74 | #183 |
| 1881 | — | — | 76 | #161 |
| 1880 | — | — | 89 | #153 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).