Given name
Silja
“one who is blind”
Silja is a Finnish form of Cecilia with a notable literary association.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Silja is a variant of Silka. In Latin use, Silka carries the interpretation “one who is blind.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Finnish use, Silja shares an earlier linguistic root with Cecily. An origin associated with Cecily is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Finnish use, Silja is used as a form of Cecilia.
The story
Frans Eemil Sillanpää’s novel The Maid Silja helped make the name familiar beyond its everyday naming context. It is also used in other Nordic countries.
Silja through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11
- 0 boys · 11 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 6 in 2014. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Silja’s family of names
In German usage, Silja is a diminutive of Cäcilia. Silja shares a linguistic root with Cecily. In Estonian usage, Silja has a conventional equivalent in the English form Cecilia.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Silja has relatives in 7 languages.
6 related names in 7 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 6
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Silja
- Silja KosonenFinnish hammer throwerborn 2002
- Silja LehtinenFinnish sailorborn 1985
- Silja KanervaFinnish yacht racerborn 1985
- Silja WalterSwiss Benedictine nun, novelist and poet (1919–2011)
- Silja Dögg GunnarsdóttirIcelandic politicianborn 1973
- Silja SuijaEstonian cross-country skier (born 1974)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Silja, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Haydi
“a modest woman; one who is well-behaved” · “a capable woman”
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Alessa
“noble” · “kind”
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Saija
Saija is a feminine given name. It is used in Finnish.
>99% girls
Siba
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Kylie
“from the narrow channel”
>99% girls
Aleeshia
“noble” · “kind”
>99% girls
Siniya
>99% girls
Synneva
>99% girls