Name of the Day: Sylvia
Looking for a subtle nature name that’s been worn by a saint and a queen, with mythological and literary associations, too? Today’s Name of the Day fulfills each and every requirement.
Thanks to Kim and Another for suggesting Sylvia.
If you love the great outdoors, but find Willow, Ocean or Skye too hippie chic for your tastes, Sylvia might appeal. The Latin silva means forest. Sylvester and Silas also trace their roots to these green and verdant Latin terms.
Two of the earliest bearers of the name are known best for the accomplishments of their sons. Rhea Silvia gave birth to Romulus and Remus, the mythological founders of Rome. In the sixth century, Saint Silvia was the mother of Pope Saint Gregory the Great.
Even farther back, legend has it that several kings of Alba Longa – a city that flourished from the 12th to 7th centuries BC – bore the name Silvio, so we can assume that both masculine and feminine versions were in use. Certainly by the Middle Ages, we find plenty of Silvios and Silvias in Italy.
In English, the name first attracted attention when William Shakespeare used it in The Two Gentlemen of Verona.
Between the 1590s and the 19th century, the favored spelling shifted. The French adjective sylvain described all things woodsy. Sylvaine and Sylvie became feminine forms en français. The English adopted the “y” spelling, but kept the “a” ending, and voilà - Sylvia.
Sylvia peaked at #62 in the US in 1939 and 1940. Today she’s at #532 and falling fast. Silvia was also in use, but tumbled right out of the rankings after 2005.
Her fading status tracks with other popular girls names from the 1930s and 40s, like Dorothy, Carol, Joan, Doris, Barbara, Patricia, Shirley, Helen, Ruth, Nancy, Sharon, Judith and Joyce.
But Sylvia has an advantage many of those names lack – she ends in an a. Chart-toppers like Olivia, Sophia and Isabella all sound right with Sylvia. It makes her a candidate for revival, even if Joan and Shirley seem fusty.
Starting next week, we’ll be hearing a variant of this name on the big screen. George Cukor’s classic 1939 The Women – a sort of proto-Sex In the City – has gotten an update. In the original, Rosalind Russell played Sylvia, who helps her friend cope with a cheating husband. Starting next week, we can watch Meg Ryan as the heroine and Annette Bening as the friend – now called Sylvie.
We’d be remiss if we failed to mention poet and author Sylvia Plath. Her tragic 1963 suicide might’ve put some parents off the name, but it was already on the decline in favor of peppy monikers like Lisa and Tammy.
Today, Silvia ranks in the Top 50 in Spain. It’s a bright spot for the name’s use, as is Queen Silvia, the reigning Queen Consort of Sweden.
While we can’t call Sylvia fashionable, we wonder if Sylvie, with her French style, might actually make a comeback first. As an independent given name, Sylvie has never ranked in the US Top 1000, and all the variants of this name are out of favor in France, too. But given the name’s long history of use and literary cred, we imagine that it is only a matter of time before we hear this name – in some form – on playgrounds once more.
Filed under: Ancient World, Literary Babes, Little Ruler, Myths & Legends, Names for Girls, Names of the Day, Saints | 21 Comments
Tags: Silvia, Sylvaine, Sylvia, Sylvie
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I think you’ve got it right, light, peppy Sylivie will lead for this name. Maybe because my mother had several friends names Sylvia (My mother was born in 1940), I still feel Sylvia’s age. I like her history but Sylvia feels positively ponderous to me. Sylvie is what appeals, both visually and audibly. I’m also very partial to the masculine French version: Sylvain. I’m a huge animation buff and easily one of the best I’ve seen is ” Les Triplettes de Belleville ” by Sylvain Chomet (he’s working on a new one now and I can’t wait to see it, Belleville blew me away).
I toy with Sylvie for a girl myself. the other half will not entertain Sylvain on a boy.
but Sylvie is sweet. Light, fresh, almost peppy and yes, happy feeling. She’s great. I think she feels suitably Frech and meshes well with my surname I just worry, would a little Sylvie of mine feels shortchanged next to opulent sister Josephine (wo really does get Josephine more often than any nickname)? Anyone have a thought or two on this? Also, How aweome would twins Remus & Sylvie be? 
I’m not so sure I’ll like the remake of “the Women”. Sultry Rosalind Russell’s character being played by Annette Bening? I just can’t wrap my head around it. Annette Bening’s alright but she’s no Rosalind Russell! Sylvia Plath was a modern woman stuck in an era she didn’t belong in. I’ve always felt sorry for her and have always thrilled to see inside her head with her poetry. She made me like the name back when my friends were naming dolls things like Jill and Karen. Mine were Sylvia, Charlote and Helen.
Either way, I’d love to see Sylvie/Syliva come back.. as long as she doesn’t pull a Sophia/Sophie. Sophie is a standalone name as is Sylvie! that drive me bananas.
And an aside for Verity… how are you holding up, dear? The heat must really be getting to you. Hope all’s well!
I adore Sylvia. It’s my second choice for a girl’s name, after Daphne. I think that Sylvia will come back with a vengence because of its natural meaning and its similarity in sound to Olivia and Sophia. Parents that want that modern but classic sound might hear it and use it without giving much thought to the meaning or background.
I think Sylvie is a cute nickname, but I wouldn’t really want to see it come back on its own. I can’t stand Sylvie and Sophie as given names. They’re nicknames!
I like Sylvia. I like that she reminds me of the woods – I picture dappled sunlight on a bed of pine needles when I say the name out loud. I also like the way her name sounds silvery. It’s a nice homophonic link if nothing else. I have a great-aunt Sylvia – but we’ve never called her that. She’s always been Aunt Sissy. I don’t think this is a good nickname for today’s standards – especially since in our house “sissy” is what we do on the toilet. I’m with Kayt (I think that’s who that is) on the nickname front. I don’t think Silvie and Sophie are good stand-alones. But I’d be charmed to meet a young Sylvia. The only other one I’veknown was my mid 30s OB/GYN. It seemed out of place on an adult around my age, but I think it works for a modern tot.
I love Sylvia. Sylvie is cute for a nickname. I would probably use it as a middle name though, but it is pretty.
Sylvia has so much that makes it perfect for my family—the meaning, the Italian connection, the Shakespeare connection, the poetic connection—that I want to love it passionately. BUT, I have to agree with Lola that it still feels a bit middle-aged to me. Sylvia is best buds with Rhonda and Linda, right?
Silvia actually freshens it up a bit for me. It looks a little more multi-cultural and *now* to me. However, I don’t know that I would ever want to saddle a kid with the less common spelling of a name.
Sylvie is adorable but sounds too much like a nickname to me to stand on its own. So many variables with this one . . . I don’t know if it’s something I could make work or if I should just let it go.
Hey DH! Sylvia’s not middle aged, she’s almost seriously Old Lady! Like I said before, Sylvia’s pushing 75 for me! Sylvia in my head is friends/playmates with Evelyn, Susan, Brenda, Geraldine, Phyllis, Barbara & Carol (Rhonda was way down in the 800’s in 1940) But I’ll give you Linda !
Why does everyone feel Sylvie’s a nickname? It’s the French version of old lady Sylvia. (Just as Sophie is the French version of Sophia, which I still think is old lady!) And Silvia is strictly hispanic for me (I live in an area witha huge Brasilian community and Siliva is there in spades amongst the 20 somethings. I hear it frequently downtown).
I still don’t get why most feel Sylvie’s a nickname, *sigh* That’s just wrong to me. Would someone try to explain it? I always end up odd man out on one level or another. Well, that’s normal at least. Count me odd, I prefer lighthearted, happy, silvery Sylvie and that’s just the way I roll… apparently.
Lola, typically, names that end in -ie, -y, or -i are nicknames:
Jenny
Dani
Charlie
Kenny
Stewie
Stevie
Margie
Connie
etc.
Sylvie fits in there, too.
Yeah, but not everywhere, Another. I should have asked “Why are Americans unable to remember that Sylvie & Sophie (in particular) are French names, a la Danielle, Michelle, Renee et al”? I really must remember to word things more precisely. My fault. sorry!
It just sounds the same as if you were to name your child Mikey, Davey, or Debbie. To an ear used to nicknames ending in -ie, Sylvie fits right in. It doesn’t sound like a formal name; it sounds like a nickname.
I must learn to word things so Brits don’t get offended by my typical American sensibilites.
Another, I’m totally with you (and yes, I’m Kayt). Lola, to my very American ear, if there is a name ending in something else, but especially A, like Sylvia, Sophia, Emma, Jenna, etc. have corresponding nicknames: Sylvie, Sophie, Emmy, Jenny, etc. If you’re French, it makes sense to be Sylvie or Sophie, but most people will assume it’s a nickname for a more common, longer name.
I think it’s just one of those irrational things, Lola. Even though I KNOW Sylvie and Sophie are full, legit names, the “ie” ending is perpetually cute because it’s used in diminutives.
It kind of reminds me of my Ukrainian friend whose name was Natalia nn Natasha. She couldn’t believe that people in the US actually gave their daughters the full name Natasha because, in her home country, Natasha was strictly a nickname and very common one at that. Natalia nn Natasha in the Ukraine = Jennifer nn Jenny in the US.
That might make for an interesting NOTD, AM: Natalia and or Natasha.
What a debate!
I tend to dislike two syllable names that end in the “ee” sound unless they’re unusual – Xanthe is one of the few that I would consider. (Once upon a time, Zoe was on that list, too.) But that’s a very personal bias – I hated being an Amy.
Many of them do tend to sound like nicknames – Tracy, Stacey, Molly, Sadie – and I find them pleasing only when they *are* nicknames. But then, there are others that certainly stand on their own. How can we forget Mary? And, of course, there are all those stolen-from-the-boys appellations: Ashley, Kelly, Riley, Bailey.
I think Sylvie is the kind of name that could stand on her own, mostly because it is a valid option in France. I’m less generous with names of recent invention. To my ear, Kayla seems less than sophisticated, but Kaylie is truly dreadful.
Still, I’d probably opt for Sylvia on the birth certificate. I far prefer names with options, and I’ve never been one of those “name her EXACTLY what you’ll call her” types.
I like the idea of Natasha as a NotD, DH – let me dig out my calendar and find her a day!
I’m with Lola, Sylvia is pushing as an old lady name
I adore her, but I am truly in love with Sylvie. She’s in one of my top 3 spots too, as Sylvie Viola Jane / Sylvie Elisabeth Pearl.
I just wish I still had my French maiden name.. Sylvie Delacroix is way cooler than Sylvie Graham!
Sylvie is my nickname in the US, and that’s what Americans call me once they feel very close to me, and it actually does sound little, cute, and happy. I love it!
But it does not sound French at all to me, Danielle and Giselle are french and they do sound French on this side of the globe, but not Sylvie. If said by my French cousin though, then it does sound it’s actually being pronounced in French. I guess it’s a combination of the language, and accent, or I might just be biased because she’s French 
I do have old lady names, Silvia Inés, and I love them! They’re not common, and I do believe they will, in a few years, come back strongly as Camila and Sophia (Sofía), which are becoming very popular among the latin culture again for some reason. My names were very popular in the Spanish language about a century ago. And I do think some of my great grand doughters will use those names again. I’m 30 years old, and I haven’t met a little girl called Sylvia or Silvia. I think I will use it if I have a daughter
Sylvia is our choice for our new arrival due in early May! It fits all of our criteria – and there were a LOT! It’s pretty and feminine – a big requirement on my part since I grew up with a “boy’s” name. It flows well with our last name, no bizarre nicknames, and it’s uncommon without being unusual. Love the natural meaning and that it’s a solid name with lots of history behind it. I’m sure my parents and IL’s will HATE it, but that’s OK with me, too – they had their chance to name their kids 20-something years ago and I’m not a huge fan of what they picked, so I take their opinions with a large grain of salt.
Smismar, that’s the right attitude, LOL! It’s so interesting to me that some grandparents-to-be want to know what happened to the “normal” names like Jason and Melissa. It’s as if our tastes freeze in time when we’re of child-bearing age and never evolve. Fortunately, surveys suggest that 100% of grandparents fall head over heels with their new little descendants, be they Jennifer, Zelda, Harriet, Thayer, Baylee or Sylvia.
I was so happy to find this on your website! We’ve recently come across Silvia as a strong contender for a name for Baby Girl, due 9/5. I’m baffled that it hasn’t re-exploded in popularity in today’s naming world. After I went searching for it on Nameberry earlier today, here’s the comment I left (because I don’t think I can say it better than this!):
We are seriously considering Sylvia; although we prefer the Shakespearean spelling Silvia. I’m not sure why this name hasn’t had a resurgence considering its familiar sound to Sophia; its meaning (‘of the forest’); its romantic namesakes (Sylvia Plath, Rhea Silvia – the mother of Romulus and Remus); and if for no other reason, the absolutely to-die-for sonnet written for her by Mr. Shakespeare in Two Gentlemen of Verona:
Who is Silvia? what is she,
That all our swains commend her?
Holy, fair, and wise is she;
The heaven such grace did lend her,
That she might admirèd be.
Is she kind as she is fair?
For beauty lives with kindness.
Love doth to her eyes repair,
To help him of his blindness,
And, being helped, inhabits there.
Then to Silvia let us sing,
That Silvia is excelling;
She excels each mortal thing
Upon the dull earth dwelling:
To her let us garlands bring.
How are we not swooning over this one??
My 2-year-old son has a playground friend named Sylvie, but her parents moved to Texas from Bulgaria. Is the name popular in Eastern Europe? I really like the name, but it was the name of our gray cat when I was growing up. The cat passed on when I was only 3, so it doesn’t hold particular meaning for me, but I think it might be challenging for my sisters to get their heads around a child in the family who shares the name with a past beloved pet.
I am a 46 year old British Sylvia. I was always the youngest Sylvia I knew. I have never met another British Sylvia less than 20 years older than myself. When growing up the name was not old enough to be fashionable, just old fashioned.
Then there was a period when in popular UK television all the old prostitutes in various police series seemed to me be called Sylvia or Gloria. Sadly, likewise, the shortened name Sylvie became associated with a very popular “art” series of films in the 70s. Also in the 70s, a brewery in Scotland used to have pictures of scantily clad women on the outside of their tins of lager and one of them was called Sylvie.
I have never enjoyed the name. I can never remember a time when anyone has complimented me on my name. Perhaps now with the 70s and 80s gone from memory, the name will have a revival.
My name is Sylvia. I just turned 30 and yes, there were very few other Sylvia’s that I ever met growing up that were not either my mother’s or grandmother’s age. Actually I only know 1 who is about 5 years older then me. Being because I am of italian heritage that is the only reason that I probably ran into as many Silvia’s as I did at all!
I have always LOVED my name. I loved that it was unique (yet not unknown or uncommon)… I wasn’t just another Jessica or Katie which seemed so popular in my age group. I didn’t need to use my last initial at the end of my name to dicipher myself from the other kids in my class. I always thought it was beautiful and very sophisticated. And I have gotten many complements on my name over the years.
Funny though, a lot of people that maybe talk to me on the phone, or hear someone talk about me and then meet me are surprised becasue they automatically expect someone about 30 years older simply because of my name.
I too am very surprised that this name has not taken off along with the Sophia, Olivia, etc. popularity that has just spun out of control. I love both of those names as well but would never call my child that because they are such a trend name right now (that includes sophie). I like unique but not bizzar or unknown. So far my boys are Domenico Mario and Massimo Lorenzo (yes, very italian) and we are keeping our fingers crossed for the bun currently in the oven to be a girl. If I was not a Sylvia myself, I would definitly be considering it for my girl.