The Sylvester surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 18,896 people carried this name — #1,901 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 15,600 people counted. That is up 2% from 18,445 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sylvester surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Silvester’.

An early record he cites: Robert fil. Silvestre, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls. Fil. is Latin for “son of”.

His entry covers Silvester and Sylvester.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 691 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 188 people named Sylvester live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Salta.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Salta 58
Santa Fe 40
Buenos Aires Province 36
City of Buenos Aires 27
Córdoba 16
Río Negro 11

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 30 people named Sylvester.

Most of them — 16 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often Seine-Maritime.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 16
Seine-Maritime 6
Paris 4
Moselle 3
Pyrénées-Atlantiques 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In print

Sylvester in American newspapers,
1899–1915.

Newspaper page from University Missourian carrying the name Sylvester
University Missourian 1915-03-03
Newspaper page from The Sun carrying the name Sylvester
The Sun 1899-09-17
Newspaper page from University Missourian carrying the name Sylvester
University Missourian 1915-03-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,614 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sylvester in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

17,478 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sylvester. The most, 2,845, date from the 1890s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,433
Victoria 4,650
Queensland 2,642
South Australia 1,707
Western Australia 1,226
Tasmania 630
ACT (Canberra) 124
Northern Territory 6

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sylvester.

Who carried it

People named Sylvester,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Josuah Sylvester
    Josuah Sylvester 1563–1618 · poet
  • James Joseph Sylvester
    James Joseph Sylvester 1814–1897 · mathematician
  • Andrew K. Syester
    Andrew K. Syester 1828–1891 · politician
  • Julius Sylvester
    Julius Sylvester 1854–1944 · lawyer
  • János Sylvester 1504–1552 · writer
  • Josua Sylvester 1563–1618 · poet

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Sylvester,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,961 records

1,961 records of the Sylvester name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 656
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 440
  • Other U.S. records 865
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jerry Sylvester

    Born 1916 in Massachusetts. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Dix, New Jersey; factory foreman. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1945, buried at Woodlawn National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Walter V. Sylvester

    Born 1921 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; machine shop worker from Queens County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1971, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Florence Sylvester

    Arrived at New York in 1897 aboard the Aller from Bremen, aged 22; farmer. From Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,961 records for Sylvester in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia260 records

260 records of the Sylvester name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 128
  • Tasmanian Names Index 72
  • Other Australian records 60
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Charles Sylvester

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Rodney, sailing from Portland (Dorset) in 1850. Native of Borough, Surrey. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1857.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alfred Charles Sylvester

    Born 1883 in Hobart, Tasmania. Married 1909 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Sarah Ann Sylvester

    Born 1875 in Sorell, Tasmania. Married 1911 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 36.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 260 records for Sylvester in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany119 records

119 records of the Sylvester name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 118
  • German emigration and citizenship files 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Sylvester

    From Missow, Rummelsburg. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 27 April 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 54).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Johann Sylvester

    Left Kadelburg for America in 1857.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hermann Sylvester

    From Dagoröse, Stolp. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 23 August 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 119 records for Sylvester in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada67 records

67 records of the Sylvester name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 37
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 9
  • Other Canadian records 21
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Thomas Darwin Sylvester

    Died 2000, aged 35; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Albert Herman Sylvester

    Buried in 1995 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 60.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Genevieve Edwards Sylvester

    Died 1922 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 67 records for Sylvester in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands14 records

14 records of the Sylvester name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 5
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph Sylvester

    Died 1955 in Hengelo, aged 64; merchant.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Marie Catherine Sylvester

    Married in 1807 in Maastricht; "winkelmeisje", born 1777 in Maastricht.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Johannes Sylvester

    Died 1812 in Haarlem, aged 46; "turfdrager".

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 14 records for Sylvester in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France12 records

12 records of the Sylvester name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jacques Henri Robert Sylvester

    Born 1931 in Paris; died 1979 in Clichy (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marguerite Sylvester

    Born 1902 in Siersthal; died 1979 in Bitche (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Edmond Henri Eugene Sylvester

    Born 1913 in Sotteville-lès-Rouen (Seine-Maritime); died 2000 in Bainville-sur-Madon (Meurthe-et-Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Sylvester in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

New Zealand7 records

7 records of the Sylvester name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Janet Sylvester

    Died 1989, aged 87; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Henry Sylvester

    Died 1906, aged 70; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Emily Sylvester

    Died 1889, aged 43; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Sylvester in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom4 records

4 records of the Sylvester name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record S. Sylvester

    Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record P. Sylvester

    Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Sylvester in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Sylvester name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Anne Sylvester

    Census of 1910: Bogstrand, Hadsel; born 1851 in Trondenes.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sylvester.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sylvester is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Sylvester volume
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