Given name & surname
Sylvain
“a woodland dweller”
Sylvain is a form of Silvanus. One Latin interpretation is “a woodland dweller.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Sylvain is a form of Silvanus. One Latin interpretation is “a woodland dweller.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Sylvain is a form of Silvanus. An origin associated with Silvanus is Latin. In French use, Sylvain shares an earlier linguistic root with Silvano. Silvano has been associated with Latin and Celtic naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In French use, Sylvain is used as a form of Silvanus.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Sylvain through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 92
- 92 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1967
- 10 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #13,657 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 13,657 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 10 in 1967. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,002 as a first name in 2020; 2,428 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.
Sylvain’s family of names
Sylvain shares a linguistic root with Silvano. In French usage, Sylvain has a conventional equivalent in the Occitan form Silvan. In French usage, Sylvain has a conventional equivalent in the Italian form Silvano.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Sylvain has relatives in 11 languages.
11 related names in 11 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Sylvanderivative · English
- Silvanocognate · Portuguese, Italian
- SilvanOccitan
- Silvanusbase name · English
- Sylvianefeminine form · French
- СильванRussian
- SylwanPolish
- ΣιλουανόςGreek
Show 2 moreShow fewer
People named Sylvain
- Sylvain WiltordFrench footballer (born 1974)
- Sylvain DistinFrench footballer (born 1977)
- Sylvain ChavanelFrench cyclistborn 1979
- Sylvain GbohouoIvorian footballerborn 1988
- Sylvain MaréchalFrench writer and philosopher (1750-1803)
- Sylvain MarveauxFrench footballer (born 1986)
- Sylvain ArendBelgian astronomer (1902–1992)
- Sylvain ArmandFrench association football playerborn 1980
- Sylvain N'DiayeSenegalese and French footballerborn 1976
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Sylvain, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Vinson
“the son of Vincent”
>99% boys
Darin
“a great man” · “a gift from God”
99% boys · 1% girls
Darvin
“a beloved friend”
>99% boys
Darrin
“a great man” · “a gift from God”
>99% boys
Daron
“the great one” · “from a small rocky hill”
>99% boys
Charlton
“from the free man's town”
>99% boys
Shelton
“from the farm on the ledge”
>99% boys
Daren
“one who is born at night”
>99% boys