Fun Facts About the Name Silvestre
- More than 2 thousand babies named Silvestre: U.S. records list 2,457 babies given the name Silvestre from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Silvestre Mean?
Silvestre is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan form of a name derived from the Latin adjective silvester (also spelled silvestris), which meant "of the woods, woodland, growing wild." It comes from the Latin noun silva, meaning "forest" or "wood." In Roman use the word described plants and animals that lived uncultivated in forests, in contrast to domesticated or cultivated things, and it also served as a Roman surname, or cognomen. The literal sense is therefore a description of origin or habitat rather than a moral quality. The English form of the same name is Sylvester; the Italian form is Silvestro, and the French is Sylvestre.
Silvestre Name History & Origins
The Latin name Silvester was in use in the Roman world as a personal name and surname before it became common among Christians. Its wide adoption in Europe is tied above all to Pope Sylvester I, who was bishop of Rome from 314 to 335. A later legend claimed that he baptized the emperor Constantine, a story that is not supported by the historical record but that added to his prominence in medieval tradition.
Because of the saint, the name spread through Latin-speaking Christian communities and took distinct forms in the Romance languages: Silvestre in Spanish, Portuguese, and Catalan, Silvestro in Italian, and Sylvestre in French. A second saint, Sylvester Gozzolini, a 13th-century Italian who founded the Sylvestrine order of Benedictine monks, also carried the name. In German-speaking lands, December 31 is called Silvester because it is the feast day of Pope Sylvester I, an association that keeps the name tied to the calendar in that region.
In Spanish and Portuguese, silvestre also survives as an ordinary adjective meaning "wild" or "growing wild," so the given name has long coexisted with a common word. The name is borne by people throughout Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and other areas where those languages are spoken.
How Popular is the Name Silvestre?
Silvestre has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1994. Its best rank was #1,542 in 1992.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,018 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2024 | #5,608 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2023 | #5,036 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2022 | #6,422 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #5,524 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2020 | #4,400 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2019 | #5,523 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #4,464 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2017 | #6,028 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #4,595 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2015 | #4,272 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2014 | #4,839 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #4,043 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2012 | #3,353 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2011 | #5,166 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2010 | #4,500 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2009 | #3,210 | 36 | 0.0018% |
| 2008 | #2,931 | 41 | 0.0020% |
| 2007 | #2,915 | 41 | 0.0020% |
| 2006 | #2,534 | 48 | 0.0023% |
| 2005 | #3,159 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2004 | #2,275 | 51 | 0.0026% |
| 2003 | #2,098 | 54 | 0.0027% |
| 2002 | #2,500 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 2001 | #2,242 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 2000 | #2,288 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 1999 | #1,963 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 1998 | #2,151 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 1997 | #1,929 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1996 | #1,782 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 1995 | #1,680 | 54 | 0.0028% |
| 1994 | #1,558 | 60 | 0.0031% |
| 1993 | #1,678 | 53 | 0.0027% |
| 1992 | #1,542 | 58 | 0.0029% |
| 1991 | #1,719 | 48 | 0.0024% |
| 1990 | #1,938 | 40 | 0.0019% |
| 1989 | #1,951 | 38 | 0.0019% |
| 1988 | #2,186 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1987 | #2,325 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1986 | #1,690 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1985 | #1,786 | 34 | 0.0018% |
| 1984 | #2,226 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1983 | #2,899 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1982 | #1,765 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1981 | #2,664 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1980 | #2,207 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1979 | #2,038 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1978 | #1,956 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 1977 | #2,197 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 1976 | #2,107 | 23 | 0.0015% |
| 1975 | #1,939 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 1974 | #2,045 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 1973 | #3,186 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1972 | #2,314 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1971 | #2,793 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #3,248 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1969 | #1,798 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1968 | #2,431 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1967 | #2,743 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1966 | #2,121 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1965 | #2,357 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1964 | #2,529 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #2,397 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1962 | #2,179 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1961 | #2,397 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1960 | #2,300 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1959 | #1,911 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 1958 | #2,357 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1957 | #2,010 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1956 | #2,617 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1955 | #2,418 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1954 | #2,425 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1953 | #2,029 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1952 | #2,241 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1951 | #1,896 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1950 | #2,423 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1949 | #2,213 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1948 | #2,305 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1947 | #2,344 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1946 | #2,257 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1945 | #1,917 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1944 | #2,454 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1943 | #2,540 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1941 | #2,075 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1940 | #1,975 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1939 | #2,274 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1938 | #3,134 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1937 | #2,651 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1936 | #2,050 | 13 | 0.0013% |
| 1935 | #2,019 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1934 | #1,602 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1933 | #2,972 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1932 | #2,181 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1931 | #2,090 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1930 | #2,763 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1929 | #1,719 | 20 | 0.0019% |
| 1928 | #1,892 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1927 | #1,860 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1926 | #1,901 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1925 | #2,176 | 15 | 0.0013% |
| 1924 | #1,957 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1923 | #1,866 | 19 | 0.0017% |
| 1921 | #3,470 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1920 | #2,213 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1919 | #3,090 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1918 | #3,668 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1917 | #2,706 | 10 | 0.0011% |
| 1916 | #3,465 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1915 | #2,595 | 10 | 0.0012% |
| 1914 | #3,690 | 5 | 0.0008% |
| 1912 | #2,505 | 6 | 0.0014% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Silvestre Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Silvestre's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Silvestre's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.