Sylas
Sylas was the 440th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 717 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 172 places. More babies were named Sylas in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Silas) Origin uncertain · Aramaic, Greek, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #440 boys, up 147 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 717boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025717 babies
- Total since 1880
- 8,966babies recorded
What does the name Sylas mean?
Sylas 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
Sylas popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 77 since 2011, 15 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #440 | 717 |
| 2020 | #587 | 472 |
| 2010 | #835 | 256 |
| 2000 | #2,911 | 31 |
| 1990 | #7,997 | 6 |
| 1980 | #7,179 | 5 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Sylas, counting every spelling?
Sylas is a spelling of Silas, a name family that ranked #63 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #440 for Sylas 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 Sylas?
717 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Sylas (0.20 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Sylas 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 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Sylas.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Sylas?
About 8,800 people born in the US named Sylas are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 13. That makes Sylas 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.
Sylas by state
How common Sylas was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Idaho (2.8×), Kansas (2.8×), New Mexico (2.2×), Missouri (1.9×), Indiana (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Sylas: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Sylas, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Sylas
What does Sylas 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 Sylas?
Sylas was the 440th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 717 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 172 places. More babies were named Sylas in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Sylas a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Sylas in the US.
Where is Sylas most popular?
In 2021–2025, Sylas was most common in Idaho (1.05 per 1,000 boys), followed by Kansas and New Mexico.