Explore the Family Name Sylvester
The meaning of Sylvester
English and German: from the Middle English and Latin personal name Silvester ‘dweller in the forest’ (a derivative of silva ‘wood’). The name was borne by three popes, including a contemporary of Constantine the Great, and seems to have been first used in England by clerics.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Sylvester in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Sylvester experienced a slight decline in rank from 1784 in 2000 to 1901 in 2010, a decrease of around 6.56%. The count, however, saw a small increase of 2.45%, rising from 18,445 in 2000 to 18,896 in 2010. The proportion per 100k also decreased by 6.29%, moving from 6.84 in 2000 to 6.41 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,784 | #1,901 | -6.56% |
| Count | 18,445 | 18,896 | 2.45% |
| Proportion per 100k | 6.84 | 6.41 | -6.29% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sylvester
The ethnicity associated with the surname Sylvester also varied according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 75.94% of those having this surname identified as White, a figure that dropped slightly to 72.96% in 2010. The percentage of people identifying as Black with this surname increased from 18.86% in 2000 to 20.72% in 2010. There was also an increase in the Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander categories, with changes of 48.88% and 19.74% respectively. The percentage of people identifying as Two or more races decreased slightly by -2.53%, while the American Indian and Alaskan Native category saw an increase of 22.06%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 75.94% | 72.96% | -3.92% |
| Black | 18.86% | 20.72% | 9.86% |
| Hispanic | 1.78% | 2.65% | 48.88% |
| Two or More Races | 1.98% | 1.93% | -2.53% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.76% | 0.91% | 19.74% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.68% | 0.83% | 22.06% |
Sylvester ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Sylvester is British & Irish, which comprises 42.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (22.3%) and Italian (8.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 42.6% |
| French & German | 22.3% |
| Italian | 8.1% |
| Other | 27.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Sylvester
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Sylvester have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 73.10% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 73.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 72.90% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 72.90% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 72.70% |
What Sylvester haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Sylvester is R-L20, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-L20 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-Z93 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with Central & South Asian and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Wood, Miller, Wiggins, Baker, Zimmerman, Schmitz, Wilkinson, Greene, Keene, Weber.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sylvester surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Sylvester have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Sylvester" Surname 45.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Sylvester" Surname 26.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Sylvester" Surname 17.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Sylvester" Surname 16.9%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Sylvester?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Sylvester are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition