Looking for a stylish – but rare – name for a daughter? Consider Sybil.
Thanks to Another for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
Sybil: Ancient World
Once upon a time, Sybil wasn’t a given name at all.
It was a title.
In the ancient world, it referred to a prophetess. While their personal identities remain largely unknown, their cryptic pronouncements influenced the course of history.
Certain shrines were especially well-regarded. At Delphi – arguably the most famous site – the head priestess was known as Pythia, and channeled the predictions of Apollo. The priestess at Cumae might have predicted the birth of Jesus. Plato, Virgil, and Heraclitus all recorded tales of their prophecies.
Sybil: Sybilla
In the Middle Ages, Sybilla became the preferred form. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources lists dozens of variations, including Sibilia, Sibella, and Sibly. Surname Sibley evolved, too.
How could a pagan prophetess inspire medieval namers? Because at least one revelation involved the birth of Christ, the name became acceptable in a Christian context.
Royal and aristocratic Sybillas included:
- A queen of Jerusalem, who reigned from 1186 to 1190. She belonged to the House of Anjou, and was not the first to bear the name.
- Henry I of England and his mistress, Lady Sybilla Corbet, had a daughter, also named Sybilla. She became Queen Consort of Scotland.
- At least two other queen consorts wore the name in the same era.
By the Renaissance, the ancient oracles had become a popular theme in art. Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel includes five.
The Reformation cooled enthusiasm for this name.
Sybil: Nineteenth Century Revival
The name was rediscovered in the nineteenth century. Benjamin Disraeli called his 1845 novel Sybil, or The Two Nations.
Then came:
- Writer Lady Sibyl Primrose Grant penned short stories and poems in the 1910s.
- Silent film star Sybil Seely appeared alongside leading men like Buster Keaton.
Sybil: Spelling
By the early twentieth century, parents clearly preferred the y-first spelling.
In 1920, when the name reached peak popularity, the y-first spelling ranked in the Top 300, while Sibyl languished 200 or more places behind.
Sybil: Fade
The name left the Top 1000 entirely after 1966.
1973’s Sybil was said to be the true story of a woman with multiple personality disorder. The bestseller became a made-for-TV movie in 1976.
Sybil served as a pseudonym for the patient, Shirley.
Cybill Shepherd – named for grandfather Cy and father Bill – played Jacy in The Last Picture Show in 1971, and later dominated the 1980s as one-half of the duo in Moonlighting.
The combination led to a small uptick in the number of girls given the name, as well as the debut of Cybil and Cybill. But by the mid-1990s, it teetered on the edge of obscurity.
Sybil: Trelawney and Crawley
Today’s parents will see Sybil in a very different light.
First came Harry Potter divination professor Sybill Trelawney, the maker of the very occasional – but critical – prophecy.
But it’s Downton Abbey that remade the name. The BBC breakout hit centered on the Crawley family, including idealistic youngest daughter Sybil. She’s a suffragette and a nurse during the war. She elopes with the chauffeur, only to die during childbirth. Their daughter – usually called Sibby – is named after her mother.
Downton Abbey has done wonders for Cora, so it comes as no surprise that the name is trending. 90 girls were named Sybil in 2015, the highest number since 1980.
That’s still far outside of the current US Top 1000, which makes this a great choice for parents seeking something just as simple as Alice or Evelyn, as ancient as Penelope, but far less expected than any of the current favorites.
Do you think Sybil will return to the US Top 1000?
This post was originally published on September 18, 2008. It was substantially revised and reposted on August 25, 2016.
Sybil is a name I’d love to see others use. There’s something about it that makes it a bit off for me to consider. And it is a bit too Sybil Trelawney for me.
I had an acquaintance in college named Cybele* (Sib-e-lee) and it drove her nuts when people called her Sybil. Somehow Sybil still feels wrong, no matter how charming I find the Downton Abbey character.
*Cybele would be a prefect suggestion for parents who love Chloe, but who want something outside of the top 1000.
I prefer the name Sybilla (nn Billie) to Sybil. Sybil reminds me of the cackling wife from the British comedy Fawlty Towers.
I like Sybilla a little more, probably due to an affection for the slightly odd/random nickname Billie I can neither explain nor justify.
Billie, nickname Sybilla, is adorable, right? Or am I being a crazy person?
Sibyl is also pretty, and without being as frilly as many trendy names. It is feminine, but tailored. Rather Art Deco and geometric.
So weird. I mean, I loved this name. (See my comments under “Another.”) But it’s not my style anymore. I think it would be neat to meet a small Sybil, but it’s off my list. Too many people in my family game me the “what the..?” face when we mentioned it 6 years ago, when I was pregnant with my first son. I don’t mind strangers disliking our children’s names, but my family has to be on board a little bit. Just a little, you know?
I still like the idea of Sybil, and feel a little thrill, having picked it 6 years earlier than Nameberry. 😉
For some reason that I can’t personally figure out I rarely like names that begin with an S. However, there are some exceptions, and Sybil is one of them. I don’t think I’d ever use the name myself, but its ancient and rich history, as well its rather unusual combination of consonants, makes Sybil attractive. It’s Isobel made spare and less decorative, and also less overused.
Sybil may enjoy a bit of a boost in popularity due to the fact that Downton Abbey with character Lady Sybil Crawley is enjoying huge success.
This is one of those names I feel I should like, but I just can’t. I love Greek names, Victorian names, and underused names, so I can’t figure out why I don’t like this one.
It feels a bit out-of-date, and its sounds don’t strike me as particularly pleasing. I put it in the same category as Frances, Tallulah, and Jasper — I have an immense amount of respect for it on someone else’s child, but I secretly find it rather ugly.
Sybil was my husband’s and my choice for our child – had he been a girl. Originally we were going to spell it Sibyl, but even though that was the original spelling, these days Sybil is more common or expected, so we didn’t want to be those parents who chose the strange spelling. Not like it mattered in the end (thanks to Ethan).
I originally chose the name because it enabled me to honor all four of my grandparents (who are all deceased). S for Sally, B for Ben, L for Laura and Larry. Looking into the history of the name, I found I really liked it! One of my favorite Greek stories is about Cassandra – Sybil seemed fitting, while Cassandra seemed overdone.
Unfortunately, Sybil’s off our list should we ever have a daughter. We like to start anew with each pregnancy.
I mentioned a week or so ago that I have a British girlfriend with a (fairly) brand new Sibyl. I think it’s a lovely, lovely name and one I would have considered myself had she not used it. I prefer the spelling she used: Sibyl to the more standard Sybil simply because Sibyl conjures up mystical things for me whereas Sybil does not. Sybil Trelawny really does nothing for me (despite my liking of Emma Thompson). Sybila reminds me the phrase “sybilla & charybdis” but Sibyl & Sybil are both charming choices that would make me want to hug mom for choosing!