Sylvia

Meaning: Its source is a Latin expression meaning "Woods."

Languages: This girl's name is used in English, Swedish and Danish.

Nicknames: Silvi

Alternative Spellings: Silvia

Variant Forms: Silva and Sylviane

Non-English Forms: Sylvie

Popularity: The name Sylvia ranked 524th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 120th in popularity for females of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: Rhea Silvia was an ancient nature goddess, mother to the twin founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.

Shakespeare used the name Silvia for the love interest in his play Two Gentlemen of Verona, probably intending to give the impression of a typical Italian girl. However, almost everything the Bard touched turned to English, and it has been regarded as a solidly English name ever since.

While the Silvia spelling is certainly more ancient, Sylvia has been preferred for the last two centuries.

Miscellaneous

Sylvia Drew
- 1970 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)
Sylvia Hitchcock
- 1967 Miss Universe titleholder, representing the United States (see list of Miss Universe Winners)
Sylvia Law (born 1942)
American lawyer and professor.
- 1975 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)
Sylvia Wilkinson
- 1966 Mademoiselle Award winner (see list of Mademoiselle Award Winners)

Science and Philosophy

Sylvia Earle Mead
American oceanographer.
- Led the first team of female aquanauts in the Tekite underwater research project (see list of Miscellaneous Physical Scientists)

Sports

Sylvia Lance
- 1924 Australian Open tennis champion (see list of Australian Open Tennis Champions)
Sylvia Wene Martin
- Member of the Women''s International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame (see list of Women's International Bowling Congress Hall of Fame)

Stage and Screen

Sylvia Costas
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Sharon Lawrence (see list of Characters on ''NYPD Blue'')
Sylvia Sidney (born 1910, died 1999)
American actress. Original name: Sophia Kosow.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
Sylvia Werner
Fictional character.
- Portrayed by Eleonore Hirt (see list of Characters in the film What's New, Pussycat)

The Literary World

(Estelle) Sylvia Pankhurst (born 1882, died 1960)
English poet and writer.
- Wrote a biography of her mother, suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst (see list of Prose Writers of the 20th Century)
Sylvia Plath (born 1932, died 1963)
American poet who committed suicide one month after the publication of her autobiographical novel The Bell Jar.
- 1982 Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry, for The Collected Poems (see list of Winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry)
- Wrote Ariel (see list of Poets of the 20th Century)