How Many People Are Named Sylvia Byers?

There are approximately 12 people named Sylvia Byers living in the United States today. That makes this name combination rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 28,562,862 Americans.

This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Sylvia with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Byers. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census background data where it is available.

Estimated People with This Name

12

1 in 28,562,862 Americans

Combination Rarity

Rare

Very Rare Very Common

Sylvia: Popularity Over Time

Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Sylvia. The peak year was 1937 with 4,389 births. The average person named Sylvia today is 58 years old.

Male
Female
0 878 2K 3K 4K 4K 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Ancestry of the First Name Sylvia

In the 2020 Census, the first name Sylvia was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (46.64%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (31.85%) and Black (15.61%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Sylvia in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper origin or meaning of the name itself.

Read this as a snapshot of who already had the name in 2020, not as a trend line. The SSA chart above is still the better way to see how Sylvia rose or fell over time.

White
46.64%
Black
15.61%
Hispanic
31.85%
Asian/Pacific Islander
3.30%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.70%
Two or More Races
1.90%

Ancestry of the Byers Surname

The surname Byers was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White in the 2020 Census.

This is a self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people who had the surname Byers in the published Census surname tables. It gives useful context around who was recorded with the name, but it does not tell the full family history of every Boone line.

White
78.04%
Black
13.34%
Hispanic
3.21%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.67%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.51%
Two or More Races
4.23%

How we calculated this

The first name "Sylvia" has an estimated frequency of 0.0339% among living Americans, based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024 adjusted for mortality using CDC 2023 life tables.

The surname "Byers" appears at a rate of 10.40 per 100,000 people in the 2020 U.S. Census.

We do not use the Census first-name snapshot for the main estimate because it is only published once every 10 years. The latest public first-name Census file is from 2020, which is already 6 years old. SSA birth records plus CDC survival data give a better current estimate of how many people with the first name Sylvia are likely to be alive now.

Multiplying these frequencies against the U.S. population of ~343 million gives 12 estimated people. This assumes first names and last names are statistically independent. Full methodology.

Sylvia Byers: Questions and Answers

How many people are named Sylvia Byers?

We estimate approximately 12 people named Sylvia Byers are alive in the United States today. The first name Sylvia is shared by 116,336 Americans, and the surname Byers is shared by 35,643.

How rare is the name Sylvia Byers?

This name combination is classified as Rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 28,562,862 Americans. The first name Sylvia is common and the surname Byers is uncommon.

Is Sylvia a male or female name?

Sylvia is predominantly female, with 0.4% of bearers being male and 99.6% female. It peaked in popularity in 1937 and the average bearer today is 58 years old.

What does the Census say about the first name Sylvia?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Sylvia was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (46.64%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (31.85%) and Black (15.61%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper origin of the name itself.

Where does this data come from?

First name data comes from the Social Security Administration (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables. When available, first-name Census background data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau first-name tables. Surname data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau. Full methodology.

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