Silas

SYE-las

Aramaic, Latin, Greek

"of the forest; or prayed for"

Silas Origin and Meaning

The name Silas is a boy's name of English, Latin origin meaning "of the forest; or prayed for".

Sleek and smart, with a hint of mystique about it, Silas is a recent addition to the US Top 100. Both mythological and Biblical in origin, Silas joins the ranks of Isaiah, Atlas, Elias, and Sebastian: polished and contemporary feeling names with plenty of history.

The origins of Silas are debated or perhaps multiple. On one hand, it could a simplified form of the Latin Silvanus, meaning “of the forest.”

In Roman mythology, Silvanus was the god of trees, and his name was originally bestowed on those who lived in forested areas or who worked with wood. This could bring either a hardy, outdoorsy ruggedness to the name or something more mystical, dark, and intriguing.

On the other hand, Silas could be a Greek form of the Aramaic Seila or of the Hebrew Saul, meaning “asked for” or “prayed for”.

Its Biblical roots can then be traced to either Saul, the first King of Israel, or to a companion of Paul the Apostle. Later venerated as a saint, Silas was a leading member of the early Christian community, who accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey.

Given as an English name from the 17th century onwards, Silas has a rich literary history. Notably used by George Eliot in Silas Marner and by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code, Sheridan Le Fanu, Charles Dickens, Robert Frost, Willaim D. Howell, Neil Gaiman, and Mark Twain have also featured a Silas in their work.

A longstanding favorite and one of the most searched names on Nameberry, in the ‘real world’, Silas had mostly lingered towards the lower end of the US Top 1000 in the 20th century.

It did gain some attention in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland in the 2000’s, but it took until the 2010’s for it to make significant moves in the US. Now, it is trending upwards and given to nearly 4000 babies each year.

Based on its Nameberry popularity, its status as ancient but still fresh, and its similarity in sound or style to popular Elijah, Isaac, Lucas, and Samuel, Silas could continue to climb the charts.

If you love it, but don’t want to be part of the crowd, you could consider one of Silas’s relatives, such as Sylvan, Sylvester, or Sylvius; alternatively, Linus, Rufus, Caius, Laurence, or Ozias might appeal as less popular options.

Silas Popularity

• 87 US 2022
• 2 Nameberry 2024
• 51 Future 2028
• 736 England 2021
• 126 Germany 2016
• 179 Switzerland 2022
• 127 Canada 2022