Sylvia
Sylvia is a female given name: 99% of people named Sylvia are women, and it is recorded as female in 20 of the 20 countries covered.
Sylvia · Sylvía
- Verdict
- Female
- Male / female split
- 1% male / 99% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Germany, Great Britain
- Also spelled
- Sylvía
- US births since 1880
- 908 male / 239,120 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Sylvia
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Sylvia," in English, "Guten Tag Sylvia," in German. Sylvia is a female given name: about 99% of people named Sylvia are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Sylvia,
German
Guten Tag Sylvia,
French
Bonjour Sylvia,
Spanish
Estimado/a Sylvia:
Chinese
Sylvia您好：
Japanese
Sylvia様
English
Hi Sylvia,
German
Hi Sylvia,
French
Salut Sylvia,
Spanish
Hola Sylvia,
Chinese
Sylvia你好：
Japanese
Sylviaさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | woman's name | 0% |
| Germany | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Great Britain | common | woman's name | 2% |
| Austria | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Switzerland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| East Frisia | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Netherlands | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Iceland | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Belgium | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| France | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Malta | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Sweden | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
Show all 20 countries
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | uncommon | woman's name | 2% |
| Finland | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Ireland | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Luxembourg | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Norway | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Denmark | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Israel | rare | woman's name | 2% |
| Romania | rare | woman's name | 2% |
United States birth data
908 male · 239,120 female · 240,028 births recorded
Since 1980: 0% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sylvia a male or female name?
Sylvia is a female given name: 99% of people named Sylvia are women, and it is recorded as female in 20 of the 20 countries covered.
How do I address Sylvia in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Sylvia," in English, "Guten Tag Sylvia," in German. Sylvia is a female given name: about 99% of people named Sylvia are women. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Sylvia a unisex name?
Sylvia is not a unisex name: 1% of people named Sylvia are men. Sylvia leans strongly female overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Sylvia a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/sylvia (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_sylvia,
title = {Is Sylvia a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/sylvia},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}