Cylas
Cylas was the 2188th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 65 babies. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked 1898th with 77 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 290 places. More babies were named Cylas in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Silas) Origin uncertain · Aramaic, Greek, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #2,188 boys, up 211 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 65boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 201577 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,034babies recorded
What does the name Cylas mean?
Cylas is a spelling of Silas, pronounced the same way, so it shares Silas's meaning and origin.
Silas is the name of a companion of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles; Paul's letters call the same man Silvanus. Wiktionary derives Silas from an Aramaic form of Saul, 'asked for'. Many name books instead connect it with the Latin Silvanus, the god of woods, from silva, 'forest', because the two names are used for one person. The New Testament text supports the double name but does not explain it.
Σίλας (Koine Greek, “Silas”)שְׁאִילָא (Aramaic, “form of Saul, 'asked for'”)Silvanus (Latin, “of the forest”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Two accounts: an Aramaic form of Saul (Wiktionary) or a short form of Latin Silvanus. The biblical Silas is called both Silas and Silvanus.
Related names: Silvanus, Saul, Silvan.
See also: Aramaic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Silas', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- New Testament, Acts 15:22 (Greek text and translations via Bible Gateway), Bible Gateway
- New Testament, 2 Corinthians 1:19 (Greek text and translations via Bible Gateway), Bible Gateway
Cylas popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,188 | 65 |
| 2020 | #2,399 | 55 |
| 2010 | #3,324 | 33 |
| 2000 | #6,410 | 10 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Cylas, counting every spelling?
Cylas is a spelling of Silas, a name family that ranked #63 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,188 for Cylas on its own. Together these spellings went to 5,421 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silas | 4,639 | #71 | 20,819 |
| Sylas | 717 | #440 | 3,194 |
| Cylas | 65 | #2,188 | 255 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cylas?
65 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cylas (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Cylas born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 129 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cylas.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cylas?
About 1,000 people born in the US named Cylas are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 6 and 14. That makes Cylas a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cylas by state
How common Cylas was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 47 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cylas: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cylas, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Cylas
What does Cylas mean?
The origin of Silas is uncertain: two accounts: an Aramaic form of Saul (Wiktionary) or a short form of Latin Silvanus. The biblical Silas is called both Silas and Silvanus.
How popular is the name Cylas?
Cylas was the 2188th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 65 babies. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked 1898th with 77 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 290 places. More babies were named Cylas in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Cylas a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Cylas in the US.
Where is Cylas most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cylas was most common in Ohio (0.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.