Sylvia is a feminine given name of

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

origin, also spelled Silvia. The French form is Sylvie. The name originates from the

word for forest ''Silva'' and its meaning is ''spirit of the wood ''. The mythological god of the forest was associated with the figure of Silvanus. William Shakespeare imported 'Silvia' to England. Silvia is the protagonist in the Shakespearean poem: Who is Silvia? what is she, That all our swains commend her? Today, Silvia is the more modern spelling of the name Sylvia. In

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these represent ...

, Silvia is the goddess of the forest while Rea Silvia was the mother of

Romulus and Remus In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus (, ) are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf sucklin ...

. Silvia is also the name of one of the female

innamorati ''Gli Innamorati'' (, meaning "The Lovers") were stock characters within the theatre style known as commedia dell'arte, who appeared in 16th century Italy. In the plays, everything revolved around the Lovers in some regard. These dramatic and pos ...

of the ''

commedia dell'arte (; ; ) was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is also known as , , and . Charac ...

'' and is a character of the ''

Aminta ''Aminta'' is a play written by Torquato Tasso in 1573, represented during a garden party at the court of Ferrara. Both the actors and the public were noble persons living at the Court, who could understand subtle allusions the poet made to th ...

'' written by

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

. Sylvia (that spelling) was the 137th most popular girl's name in Britain in 1900.

People

Saint Silvia Silvia, or Sylvia, (c. 515 – c. 592) was the mother of Gregory the Great. She is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church, which names her a patroness of pregnant women. Life Little biographical information ab ...

Queen Silvia of Sweden Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the moth ...

Sylvia (singer) Sylvia Jane Hutton (née Kirby, born December 9, 1956), also known mononymously as Sylvia, is an American country music and country pop singer and songwriter. Her biggest hit (a crossover chart topper), was her single " Nobody" in 1982. It ...

, American country singer born Sylvia Jane Kirby *

Sylvia Anderson Sylvia Beatrice Anderson (; 25 March 1927 – 15 March 2016) was an English television and film producer, writer, voice actress and costume designer, best known for her collaborations with Gerry Anderson, her husband between 1960 and 1981. In a ...

, British voice artist and film producer * Sylvia Rose Ashby, Australian market-researcher *

Sylvia Ashton-Warner Sylvia Constance Ashton-Warner (17 December 1908 – 28 April 1984) was a New Zealand novelist, non-fiction writer, poet, pianist and world figure in the teaching of children. Her ideas for a child-based or organic approach to the teaching of ...

, New Zealand writer, poet and educator *

Sylvia Browne Sylvia Celeste Browne ('' née'' Shoemaker; October 19, 1936 – November 20, 2013) was an American author who claimed to be a medium with psychic abilities. She appeared regularly on television and radio, including on '' The Montel Will ...

, American psychic *

Silvia Cartwright Dame Silvia Rose Cartwright (née Poulter; born 7 November 1943) is a New Zealand jurist who served as the 18th Governor-General of New Zealand, from 2001 to 2006. She was the second woman to hold the office, after Dame Catherine Tizard. Earl ...

, Governor-General of New Zealand *

Sylvia Chang Sylvia Chang (born 21 July 1953) is a Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, producer and director. In 1992, she was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 2018, she was one of the jury members of the main competition ...

, Taiwanese actress, producer and director * Sylvia Chase (1938–2019), American broadcast journalist *

Sylvia Constantinidis Sylvia Constantinidis (born December 3, 1962) is a Venezuelan-American pianist, composer, and conductor. Early life and education Sylvia Constantinidis was born in Venezuela and began her study of music at an early age in Caracas. Her musi ...

, Venezuelan-American pianist, conductor and composer *

Sylvia Crawley Sylvia Crawley (born September 27, 1972) is a former American professional women's basketball forward, licensed minister and motivational speaker. She was also the head women's basketball coach of the Boston College Eagles, from 2008 to 2012, and ...

, American basketball player *

Sylvia Day Sylvia June Day (born March 11, 1973) is a Japanese American writer. She also writes under the pseudonyms S.J. Day and Livia Dare. She is a number one bestselling author in 29 countries. Career Day writes genre fiction and literary commentary ...

, American romance writer *

Sylvia Earle Sylvia Alice Earle (née Reade; born August 30, 1935) is an American marine biologist, oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998. Earle was the first female chief scient ...

, American oceanographer and aquanaut * Sylvia Esterby, Canadian statistician * Sylvia Fernando (1904–1983), Sri Lankan educator and family planning advocate * Sylvia Gray (1909–1991), English businessperson * Sylwia Gruchała, Polish fencer * Sylvia Hanika, German tennis player * Sylvia Laughter (1950s-2022), American politician *

Sylvia Likens Sylvia Marie Likens (January 3, 1949 – October 26, 1965) was an American teenager who was tortured and murdered by her caregiver, Gertrude Baniszewski, many of Baniszewski's children, and several of their neighborhood friends. This abuse in ...

, American murder victim at age 16 * Sylvia Martínez Elizondo (1947–2020), Mexican politician *

Sylvia McNair Sylvia McNair (born June 23, 1956) is an American opera singer and classical recitalist who has also achieved notable success in the Broadway and cabaret genres. McNair, a soprano, has made several critically acclaimed recordings and has won ...

, American singer * Sylvia Molloy (writer) (1938–2022), Argentine academic and writer *

Silvia Monfort Silvia Monfort (born Simone Marguerite Favre-Bertin; 6 June 1923 – 30 March 1991) was a French actress and theatre director. She was the daughter of the sculptor Charles-Maurice Favre-Bertin and the wife of Pierre Gruneberg. She was named a ...

, French actress *

Sylvia Namutebi Sylvia Wilson Namutebi Alibhai is a Ugandan former model and beauty pageant titleholder. She reigned as Miss Uganda in 2011 and represented Uganda at Miss World later that year. Biography Namutebi was born to Paul Ssekuwanda in Wakiso, Uganda. She ...

, Uganda beauty pageant titleholder *

Sylvia Pankhurst Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (5 May 1882 – 27 September 1960) was a campaigning English Feminism, feminist and Socialism, socialist. Committed to organising working-class women in East End of London, London's East End, and unwilling in United King ...

, British suffragette and Marxist *

Sylvia Pedlar Sylvia Pedlar (1900–1972) was an American fashion designer specialising in lingerie. She is the only designer to have won the Special Coty Award more than once, in 1951 and 1964. Born Sylvia Schlang in 1900 in New York, she was an art stud ...

, American lingerie designer *

Silvia Pinal Silvia Pinal Hidalgo (born 12 September 1931) is a Mexican actress. She began her career in the theater, venturing into cinema in 1949. Her film work and popularity in her native country led her to work in Europe (Spain and Italy). Pinal achiev ...

, Mexican actress *

Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, '' Th ...

, American confessional poet *

Sylvia Poggioli Sylvia Poggioli ( or ; born 19 May 1946) (Bad link) is an American radio reporter for National Public Radio. She is the network's senior European correspondent. Early life Poggioli was born in Providence, Rhode Island, and raised in Cambridge, ...

, Radio news anchor * Sylvia Ratonel (born 1988), Singaporean singer and spokesmodel *

Sylvia Rivera Sylvia Rivera (July 2, 1951 – February 19, 2002) was an American gay liberation and transgender rights activist September 21, 1995. Accessed July 24, 2015. who was also a noted community worker in New York. Rivera, who identified as a drag q ...

, American transgender activist *

Sylvia Robinson Sylvia Robinson (née Vanderpool; May 29, 1935 – September 29, 2011) was an American singer, record producer, and record label executive. Robinson achieved success as a performer on two R&B chart toppers: as half of Mickey & Sylvia with ...

, American rhythm & blues singer, member of

Mickey & Sylvia Mickey & Sylvia was an American R&B duo composed of Mickey Baker and Sylvia Vanderpool, who later became Sylvia Robinson. They are best known for their number-one R&B single " Love Is Strange" in 1957. Baker and Vanterpool began recording tog ...

, and record label executive *

Silvia Rodríguez Villamil Silvia Rodríguez Villamil (1939 - August 17, 2003) was an Uruguayan historian, feminist, writer, as well as a political and social activist. Biography Silvia Rodríguez Villamil was born in Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capi ...

(1939-2003), Uruguayan historian, feminist, writer, activist * Sylvia Ruuska, American medley and freestyle swimmer *

Sylvia Sanchez Jossette Campo-Atayde (born May 19, 1971), better known as Sylvia Sanchez, is a Filipina actress and comedian. She is the wife of Art Atayde and the mother of actors Arjo Atayde and actress Ria Atayde. Personal life Sanchez was born and raised ...

, (born 1971), Filipino actress * Sylvia Schofield (1916–2006), British writer and traveller *

Sylvia Siddell Sylvia Grace Siddell, Lady Siddell (1941 – 26 August 2011) was a New Zealand painter, etcher, and screen-printer, based in Auckland. Education Siddell attended the Avondale College (Art teacher: R.N.Field), Auckland Post Primary Teachers' ...

(1941–2011), New Zealand artist *

Sylvia Sidney Sylvia Sidney (born Sophia Kosow; August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999) was an American stage, screen and film actress whose career spanned over 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Aca ...

, American actress * Sylvia Sleigh, Welsh-American painter *

Sylvia Syms Sylvia May Laura Syms (born 6 January 1934) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films '' Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957), '' Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958), '' No Trees in the Street'' (1959), '' Victim'' (1961), and '' The T ...

, English actress * Sylvia Thalberg, American screenwriter *

Sylvia Tyson Sylvia may refer to: People *Sylvia (given name) * Sylvia (singer), American country music and country pop singer and songwriter * Sylvia Robinson, American singer, record producer, and record label executive *Sylvia Vrethammar, Swedish singer cre ...

, Canadian musician, performer, singer-songwriter and broadcaster *

Sylvie Vartan Sylvie Vartan (; born Sylvie Georges Vartanian; hy, Սիլվի Ժորժ Վարդանյան. on 15 August 1944) is an Armenian-Bulgarian-French singer and actress. She is known as one of the most productive and tough-sounding yé-yé artists. ...

, Bulgarian-French singer and actress * Silvia Vasquez-Lavado, Peruvian-American explorer, mountaineer, social entrepreneur and technologist *

Sylvia Vrethammar Eva Sylvia Vrethammar (born 22 August 1945, Uddevalla, Sweden), is a Swedish traditional pop and jazz singer. She is the daughter of Harald Vrethammar, an education official, and Britta Vrethammar, a musical education teacher, specializing in t ...

, Swedish singer * Sylvia Wene, American ten-pin bowler * Sylvia Weve, Dutch illustrator

Fictional characters

* Sylvia, the character played by Anita Ekberg in the Italian film ''

La Dolce Vita ''La Dolce Vita'' (; Italian for "the sweet life" or "the good life"Kezich, 203) is a 1960 satirical comedy-drama film directed and co-written (with Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi) by Federico Fellini. The film stars Mar ...

'' (1960) * Sylvia, the character voiced by Kristen Johnston in the American animated film ''

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

'' (2002) * Sylvia, character in the animated series ''

Wander Over Yonder ''Wander Over Yonder'' is an American Animation, animated television series that aired on Disney Channel and Disney XD. Created by Craig McCracken, it follows the adventures of the optimistic Wander, who rides across the galaxy to help the inhabi ...

'' * Sylvia, the protagonist in the short story ''

A White Heron "A White Heron" is a short story by Sarah Orne Jewett. First published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company in 1886, it was soon collected as the title story in Jewett's anthology ''A White Heron and Other Stories''. It follows a young city girl named ...

'' by Sarah Orne Jewett *

Sylvia Costas Sylvia Costas-Sipowicz is a fictional character from the American television drama '' NYPD Blue'', in which the character was married to Detective Andy Sipowicz, played by Dennis Franz. She was played by Sharon Lawrence.Vincent Terrace, ''Encyclo ...

, Assistant District Attorney in the American television drama '' NYPD Blue'' * Sylvia Fine, the character played by Renee Taylor in the television series ''

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ...

'' *

Sylvia Goodwin ''Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera, produced by ITV Studios. Created by writer Tony Warren, ''Coronation Street'' was first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. It has been produced by Phil Collinson since 2010. The following is a lis ...

, the mother of

Roy Cropper Roy Cropper is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by David Neilson. He first appeared on-screen on 19 July 1995. Originally a secondary character, he was given a more prominent role in 1997, by ...

in the ITV soap opera ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based ...

'' *

Sylvia Hollamby Sylvia Violet Hollamby (previously Nicholson; also known as Body Bag) is one of the longest-running characters in the award-winning prison drama series '' Bad Girls''. Portrayed by Helen Fraser from the first episode in 1999 until the last in 20 ...

Character in the ITV prison drama

Bad Girls (TV series) ''Bad Girls'' is a British television drama series that was broadcast on ITV from 1 June 1999 until 20 December 2006. It was created by Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus of Shed Productions, who initiated the idea of developing a series primari ...

played by

Helen Fraser Helen Fraser may refer to: * Helen Fraser (actress) (born 1942), English actress * Helen Fraser (executive) (born 1949), British executive and businesswoman * Helen Fraser (feminist) Helen Miller Fraser, later Moyes (14 September 1881 – 2 D ...

* Sylvia Lyyneheym, a character in the light novel and anime of ''

The Asterisk War is a Japanese light novel series written by Yū Miyazaki, and illustrated by Okiura. Media Factory has published the series in seventeen volumes from September 25, 2012, to June 24, 2022, under their MF Bunko J imprint. Three spin-off volume ...

'' *

Sylvia Noble Over the course of its many years on television, the long-running British science fiction television series '' Doctor Who'' has not only seen changes in the actors to play the Doctor, but in the supporting cast as well. Companions The Doctor ...

, a character from British science fiction TV series '' Doctor Who'' * Sylvia Rosen, a neighbor who is friendly with Don and Megan Draper in ''Mad Men'' (season 6)

References

{{given name Swiss feminine given names Italian feminine given names English feminine given names it:Silvia

People

Fictional characters

See also

References