Silas

Attested across 7 languages in the etymology graph.

Names that people choosing a name often weigh against Silas, most often first. They share a style rather than an origin.

• Tobias
• Cyrus
• Micah
• Elias
• Wesley
• Milo
• Ezra
• Levi
• Miles
• Owen
• Jonah
• Wyatt

From the names suggested together in public name-advice forums, in English. A list of what people consider, not a measure of how common any name is.

Silas is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• English given name10 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Nigeria, Germany, United Kingdom

  Languages: English, German, Dutch

  Also written Şilaş, Silaş, Sîlas, Sïlâs

• French given name5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Congo - Kinshasa, Cameroon

  Also written Sîlas, Şilaş, Sîlãs

• Hindi given name6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States, Nigeria, South Africa

  Languages: Hindi, Urdu

  Also written Şilaş, Šilas, Silaş

• Indonesian given name3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, Nigeria, India, Malaysia

  Also written Şilaş, Silaş

• a separate given name2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, United States, Ethiopia, Nigeria

  Also written S̵̗̣̻̭͔i̘̩̞̜͈l̯a̘͍̻̺͉̹s̫͔̘͍

70 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Silas is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• Silas is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "forest" or "woods." With both biblical and mythological roots, it has a sleek and smart feel. The name is associated with Silas from the New Testament, a loyal companion to the Apostle Paul known for his steadfast faith, making it a choice that suggests strength, reliability, and a connection to nature.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• Of New Testament origin: Greek name, a short form of Silouanus (Latin Silvanus, a derivative of silva ‘wood’). This name was borne by a companion of St Paul, who is also mentioned in the Bible in the full form of his name. The Eastern Church recognizes two separate saints, Silas and Silvanus, but honours both on the same day (20 July).

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

• In English, The companion of Paul in the New Testament, also called Silvanus.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In English, From the forest

  as a name·Baby names, 25,350 baby names nicknames for your family, friends pets, including the top 100 names, 2,000 most popular…

• In Russian, de siba, le demandé ou d’origine hébraïque : "calme, silence". Fêtes : 4 (17) janvier, 26 mars (8 avril), 30 juillet (12 août). 5Наз est son équivalent français. Fête : 13 juillet.

  as a name·Russian Names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

• Silas Deaneb. 1737USAmerican politician (1737-1789)
• Silas Wrightb. 1795USAmerican politician (1795-1847)
• John Reedb. 1887USnot in their usual nameAmerican journalist, poet, and communist activist
• Silas Atopareb. 1951PG7th governor-general of Papua New Guinea (1951–2021)
• Silas Carsonb. 1965GBEnglish actor
• Silas Weir Mitchellb. 1970USAmerican actor
• Silas Kiplagatb. 1989KEKenyan distance runner
• Silas Santos Silvab. 1992BRBrazilian economist
• Silas Katompa Mvumpab. 1998CDDR Congolese footballer
• Ethel Cainb. 1998USnot in their usual nameAmerican singer-songwriter, born 1998

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

A formal English salutation is built on the surname, so it needs a full name — on its own, a first name only supports the informal form.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Is Silas a male or female name?

Silas is a male name. National registers that list it by sex list it as male: United States (Census Bureau, 2020), Brazil (IBGE), Denmark (Danmarks Statistik) and Norway (SSB), among others.

What does the name Silas mean, and where does it come from?

The name Silvanus is Latin, meaning "of the forest" or "woodland dweller," derived from the word "silva" (forest). Recorded by Biblical Names Compiled Database.

How do you pronounce Silas?

It depends on the language: in English /ˈsaɪ.ləs/ (Wiktionary); in Portuguese /ˈsi.las/ (Wiktionary); in Swahili /silɑs/. Transcriptions are machine-generated except where a dictionary is named.

What are other forms of the name Silas?

In the etymology graph, Sylvain, Silvano and Sylvanus are forms of the same name in other languages.

In which country does Silas have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 41 thousand people named Silas, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled silas.

Where is Silas most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Silas is densest in Denmark — about 1 in 1.4 thousand people — even though United States holds more of our records for it.

How common is the name Silas?

In the United States, the national register counted 40,869 people named Silas in 2020, about 1 in 8.1 thousand residents.

How common is Silas compared with other names?

In Brazil, Silas is the 845th most common given name of 474,894 given names recorded there.