Fun Facts About the Name Sylas
- More than 8 thousand babies named Sylas: U.S. records list 8,954 babies given the name Sylas from 1880 through 2025. Even 77 girls received the name Sylas - about 1 girl for every 115 boys.
What Does the Name Sylas Mean?
Sylas is a spelling variant of Silas, whose established meaning is "of the woods" or "woodland." The name reaches English through the Greek Σιλᾶς (Silas), a shortened form of Σιλουανός (Silouanos), which renders the Latin name Silvanus. Latin silva means "wood" or "forest," so the name's literal sense is a person of the woods. The same root lies behind the English word "sylvan" and the Roman rural god Silvanus.
The y in Sylas matches the alternate Latin and English spelling Sylvanus rather than the Greek, where the first vowel is iota; the shift from i to y is an ordinary English spelling variation, as in Bryan for Brian. A few reference works have proposed a Semitic origin instead, but the connection is uncertain and most accounts derive the name from Silvanus.
Sylas Name History & Origins
The name first appears in written records in the New Testament. In the Acts of the Apostles, Silas is a leading member of the Jerusalem church sent with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch; he later travels with Paul through Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth, and Acts 16 describes the two men being beaten and jailed at Philippi and then released as Roman citizens. He is usually identified with the Silvanus named as co-sender of the letters to the Thessalonians and as the scribe who put 1 Peter into writing. That biblical use carried the name into Christian communities, and it passed into English through the Latin Bible and later English translations.
English use of the name belongs largely to the period after the Reformation, when biblical names were widely adopted; Silas appears in English and New England records from the 1600s onward, favored by families who chose scriptural names, though it never ranked among the most common English given names. Two nineteenth-century novels brought it before a broad readership: George Eliot's Silas Marner (1861) and Charles Dickens's Our Mutual Friend (1864 - 65), which includes the character Silas Wegg.
Sylas itself is best understood as a modern spelling of that older name rather than a separate historical name, since English Bibles and historical records print the form Silas. The y spelling has gained visibility in recent popular culture; a champion named Sylas was added to the video game League of Legends in 2019, and the spelling also appears in current fiction and media. Those appearances show modern use of the spelling, not the origin of the name.
How Popular is the Name Sylas?
Sylas recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2025. Its best rank was #440 in 2025.
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 | #7,451 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2024 | #10,965 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #10,222 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #11,141 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #12,074 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #14,904 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #17,676 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #18,152 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #18,576 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #19,259 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #440 | 717 | 0.0420% |
| 2024 | #487 | 633 | 0.0369% |
| 2023 | #464 | 661 | 0.0387% |
| 2022 | #487 | 625 | 0.0358% |
| 2021 | #534 | 550 | 0.0315% |
| 2020 | #587 | 471 | 0.0273% |
| 2019 | #621 | 441 | 0.0246% |
| 2018 | #631 | 421 | 0.0232% |
| 2017 | #659 | 389 | 0.0210% |
| 2016 | #639 | 416 | 0.0219% |
| 2015 | #612 | 439 | 0.0229% |
| 2014 | #670 | 382 | 0.0199% |
| 2013 | #525 | 508 | 0.0269% |
| 2012 | #626 | 388 | 0.0205% |
| 2011 | #624 | 377 | 0.0199% |
| 2010 | #835 | 256 | 0.0133% |
| 2009 | #848 | 254 | 0.0128% |
| 2008 | #1,088 | 172 | 0.0084% |
| 2007 | #1,148 | 156 | 0.0075% |
| 2006 | #1,721 | 82 | 0.0040% |
| 2005 | #1,632 | 84 | 0.0042% |
| 2004 | #1,853 | 67 | 0.0034% |
| 2003 | #1,655 | 76 | 0.0038% |
| 2002 | #1,813 | 64 | 0.0033% |
| 2001 | #3,054 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 2000 | #2,911 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1999 | #3,021 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1998 | #3,472 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1997 | #3,573 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #3,190 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1995 | #4,243 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1994 | #5,410 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #6,737 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #9,640 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #9,452 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1990 | #7,995 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #5,539 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #7,690 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #4,509 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1983 | #7,202 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1980 | #7,179 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #5,960 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #6,227 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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 Sylas 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 inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Sylas's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sylas's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.