Silver is a metal, Sylvester is a cat. How would this similar-sounding name wear on a daughter?
Thanks to Christina for suggesting Silvana as our Baby Name of the Day.
90210’s Erin Silver – little sister of original series’ character David Silver, and West Beverly High’s resident gossip girl blogger – answers mostly to her surname. It has some daring parents considering Silver.
But Silvana comes not from the jeweler’s shop but from the forest. The Latin silva – woods – is the origin of Roman forest god Silvanus, as well as a host of given names:
- Sylvia and Silvia are probably the best known;
- There’s also the French Sylvie and Sylvaine
- Sylviane and Sylvianne are somewhere between the French forms and a smoosh of Sylvie and Anne.
Silvana surfaces in Italian, as well as Spanish and a few other languages. Some of her portability may come from Carl Maria von Weber’s 1810 opera Silvana, but it isn’t especially well known.
Notable bearers of the name include:
- The current Countess of St. Andrews is Sylvana Windsor, born Sylvana Tomaselli;
- Actress Silvana Arias was born in Peru, and made her name in telenovelas. She also spent three years on NBC’s soap opera Passions as Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald;
- Italian actress Silvana Pampanini started out as 1946’s Miss Italy, became a big star in her native country, but never made the transition to international fame;
- Silvana Mangano was also a pageant winner turned Italian cinema star. Her career spanned four decades. Even if you’ve never heard of Mangano, her granddaughter, celeb chef Giada De Laurentiis, is probably familiar.
Adding to her Italian style, Spring 2011 Fendi gave the name to a bag, inspired by the legacy of Silvana Mangano.
She’s never ranked in the Top 1000, but US Census records turn up plenty of Silvanas, including enough in Puerto Rico to make me think the name must’ve been very much in vogue at one point.
I’ve heard that she’s considered dated in Italy, but in the US, she’d fit right in with Olivia and Gabriella. Remember Elisabeth’s Le tante sorelle di Isabella?
Today her -ana ending would fit right in with:
- Top 100 picks Ariana and Arianna, Gianna, Savannah, Brianna, and Hannah;
- Hovering just outside, we find Adriana and Adrianna, Liliana, Briana, Juliana and Julianna.
That’s not counting the many flowing, long names with easy short forms that are so popular for girls. Silvie, Sylvie, or even Silver would all make great nicknames.
Perhaps she never caught on in the US because of Sylvania televisions. While the parent company still exists, my sense is that the televisions are relatively uncommon today.
If you’re looking for a rarity that would be distinctive but still easy to pronounce and spell, Silvana is one to recommend.
My neighbor growing up was from Italy and his sister, who often visited was named Silvana. She was lovely. I think it’s a great name. And Lola, when I was in high school, one of the exchange students was named Sylvain. He was gorgeous and from the Netherlands or somewhere like that 🙂
Over Easter, we met a toddler named Silvano at the Houston airport. His family was speaking Spanish and I can’t say much more than “Donde esta el ba
I’ve only known one Silvana and that was in a another country. Her “v” along with the “ana” ending are two reasons I wouldn’t be surprised if more people started using her. 51 girls were named Silvana in 2009 according to Nancy:
https://www.nancy.cc/girl-names-that-start-with-the-letter-s/
I’m curious to see what the number will be for 2010. Slight spelling variations were given to 26 girls in the US.
I knew Dino De Laurentiis was Giada’s grandfather; didn’t realize she had a famous grandmother as well. Thanks for the feature 🙂
Pretty name, but I can’t get past the World of Warcraft association. Sylvanas is a MAJOR character in the lore, and she’s an undead banshee queen determined to create hordes of undead to join her ranks. So, yeah.
Sylvana is pretty, but I would rather use Silvia or Sylvie. Sylvana is pretty, though, and I would love to see it used by someone I know or meet a little girl with that name. I could see it catching on if it used by someone famous.
Sylvie is one of my favorites these days … and I think you’re right. One appealing television character and Silvana would be EVERYWHERE. Same goes for Sylvie, I think …
OwoW. Watching names make it big as it happens.
Ooh, Silvana is so pretty! You forgot the character from The Talented Mr. Ripley. Silvana is Dickie’s mistress – a minor character but important. That movie is where I first heard the name Silvana.
Silvana would be a great name for parents who want a subtle nature name or want something that sounds Italian and is super easy to spell/pronounce. Two thumbs up from me! 🙂
Oh, I loved that movie! I always meant to read the books, too …
My favorite among these is Sylvaine.
Oooh, Silvana is pretty. I am a huge video game nerd and I have to admit that the first thing that popped into my head was the World of Warcraft character, Sylvanas. I’ve never much cared for the character, but I always really really loved the name.
I think it sounds nice but growing up there was an adult named Sylvana who was a real bully and liked to try making children cry so I wouldn’t ever use it. It would make a great way to get to Sylvia/Silvia or Sylvie/Silvie if you wanted a longer name.
Ooh, Sylvana’s got a neat vibe, but she reminds me of Sylvania, the old appliance co. I agree that she’s distinctive in a sea of -anna names.
But Sylvie has my heart and if I could get him to agree, would use Sylvain on a boy (we’re both huge Chomet fans).
But Sylvana’s neat, pretty and distinctive. She gets a solid :thumbsup: from me!
It’s all lighting to me… Sylvania or something? Yes?
Honestly, it almost seems like a compromise mash-up – Mom wants a princess name, Dad is keen on Sylvia… Silvana is born! Just not my cup o’ tea…