Given name & surname
Silvia
“a woodland dweller”
Silvia connects Roman legend, a possible woodland association, and later literary use.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Silvia is a variant of Silvana. In Latin use, Silvana carries the interpretation “a woodland dweller.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Italian use, Silvia is a feminine form of Silvio. An origin associated with Silvio is Latin.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Italian usage, Silvia is a feminine form of Silvio. In Portuguese usage, Silvia is a feminine form of Silvius.
The story
In Roman legend, Rhea Silvia is the mother of Romulus and Remus. Shakespeare later used Silvia in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, adding an English literary association to a name with a long Italian history.
Silvia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 21,323
- 51 boys · 21,272 girls
- Most popular year
- 1991
- 374 babies
- 2025
- 182
- #1,240 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +8%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 182 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,240 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 8.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 374 in 1991. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (21). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 80,787 as a first name in 2020; 5,153 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Silvia’s family of names
In Estonian usage, Silvia has a short form in SILVI. In Italian usage, Silvia is a feminine form of Silvio. In English usage, Silvia has a related form in Sylvia.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Silvia has relatives in 24 languages.
20 related names in 24 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 19
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Silvia
- Queen Silvia of Swedenqueen consort of Swedenborn 1943
- Chiara LubichItalian founder of the Focolare Movement (1920–2008)
- Silvia FedericiItalian American scholar, teacher, and feminist activistborn 1942
- Silvia PinalMexican actress (1931–2024)
- Silvia NavarroMexican actressborn 1978
- Silvia NeidGerman football player and managerborn 1964
- Sílvia Soler EspinosaSpanish tennis playerborn 1987
- Silvia CartwrightNew Zealand viceroy, juristborn 1943
- Silvia CollocaItalian singer, actress, author and TV cooking personalityborn 1977
Characters named Silvia: Silvía Night (fictional character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Silvia, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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