Silas

SYE-las

Aramaic, Latin, Greek

"of the forest; or prayed for"

Silas Origin and Meaning

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

Silas is a Biblical name of debated – or possibly multiple – origins. It may be a simplified form of the Latin Silvanus, meaning "of the forest", or alternatively may be a Greek form of the Aramaic Seila or Hebrew Saul, meaning "asked for, prayed for".

Silvanus is the Roman god of trees and his name was originally bestowed on people who lived in wooded areas or who worked with wood. Saul was the name of the first king of Israel, and also the original Hebrew name of Paul the Apostle. In the New Testament, St. Silas was a leading member of the early Christian community who accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey.

Silas, once a folksy-sounding, rural New Testament boy name associated with George Eliot's Silas Marner, has been climbing upward since 1990. In 2021, it hit its highest point ever in the US, ranking at Number 91. Silas is similar in flavor to smart, cool Biblical boy names like Caleb and Linus, and is a longstanding favorite with Nameberry visitors.

Silas is also associated with the indelible albino monk in The Da Vinci Code, is the leading character in William D. Howell's novel The Rise and Fall of Silas Lapham, and was the name of Nancy Botwin's TV son in Weeds.

Silas Popularity

• 91 US 2021
• 5 Nameberry 2022
• 51 Future 2028
• 736 England 2021
• 126 Germany 2016
• 172 Switzerland 2021