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 Rank in US Top 1000

# 81 in the US

Silas Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 2 on Nameberry

Silas Popularity

• 81 US 2023
• 2 Nameberry 2024
• 138 Canada 2023
• 51 Future 2028
• 736 England 2021
• 126 Germany 2016
• 183 Switzerland 2023

20 Names Similar to Silas

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Silas.

• Ezra
• Atticus
• Elias
• Milo
• Jude
• Jasper
• Sebastian
• Miles
• Levi
• Asher
• Felix
• Sawyer
• Cyrus
• August
• Atlas
• Soren
• Oliver
• Tobias
• Theodore
• Finn

Famous People Named Silas

• Silas Deane American politician and diplomat
• Silas House American writer
• Silas Weir Mitchell American physician and writer
• Silas Weir Mitchell American actor (named after the above)
• Silas "Si" Robertson American reality TV personality ("Duck Dynasty")
• Jason Silas "Jase" Robertson American reality TV personality (Duck Dynasty")
• Silas Wright American politician, 14th governor of New York
• Paulo Silas do Prado Pereira aka Silas Brazilian football manager
• Silas Wood U.S. Congressman from New York
• Silas Talbot commander of the U.S.S. Constitution during the American Revolution
• Silas Watt (b. 2007) son of racing driver Jason Watt
• Silas Randall Timberlake (b. 2015) son of singer/actor Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel
• Silas Jude Eubanks (b. 2015) son of Megan McConnell and Chase Eubanks of TV's "16 and Pregnant"

Silas in Pop Culture

• Silas Blissett character in British soap "Hollyoaks"
• Silas Botwin Nancy's son on TV's "Weeds"
• "Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe " novel by George Eliot
• Silas Heap character in the "Septimus Heap" book series by Angie Sage
• Silas character in Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code"
• Silas character in "Sisters Red" by Jackson Pearce
• Silas the first immortal being on TV's "The Vampire Diaries"
• Silas Wegg one,legged blackmailer in "Our Mutual Friend"
• Silas hired man in Robert Frost's poem "Death of the Hired Man"
• Silas Ruthyn character in "Uncle Silas" by Sheridan Le Fanu
• Great Uncle Silas, character in "My Uncle Silas" (1939) by H. E. Bates
• Silas the vampire in Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book"
• Silas Q. Scuddamore wealthy American in "The Suicide Club" by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Colonel Silas Lapham businessman & social climber in "The Rise of Silas Lapham" (1885)
• "Swan Lee (Silas Lang)" song by Syd Barrett
• Silas Hendershot character in movie "The Final Storm"
• Silas character in animated series "Transformers: Prime"
• Silas Sugwash character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
• Silas Phelps uncle to Tom Sawyer in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain
• Silas main character in "Origin" by Liam Holt
• Silas character in the video games "Fire Emblem Fates"
• Silas character in the movie "Equals"
• Silas one of the villains in 'The Vampire Diaries'
• Silas Scratch antagonist of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School," by Jeff Kinney