Sylvia Li
There are approximately 65 people named Sylvia Li living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 5,273,144 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Sylvia with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Li. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
65
1 in 5,273,144
Named Sylvia
116K
Alive today
Named Li
190K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 116K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Female
Peak year: 1937
Average age: 58
Top Census group: White (46.6%)
Estimated bearers: 190K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #154
Per 100K: 55.47
Top ancestry: Asian/Pacific Islander (96.0%)
First name trend
Sylvia: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Sylvia. The peak year was 1937 with 4,389 births. The average person named Sylvia today is 58 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sylvia
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Sylvia, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 46.6%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Sylvia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Sylvia at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White46.6% · 71,312
- Hispanic or Latino31.9% · 48,701
- Black or African American15.6% · 23,860
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 5,041
- Two or more races1.9% · 2,901
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1,075
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Li surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Li, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Li described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Li at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.0% · 159,133
- White2.1% · 3,557
- Two or more races0.9% · 1,441
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 879
- Black or African American0.5% · 747
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 33
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Sylvia has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0339% of the US population, based on 116,336 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Sylvia right now.
The surname Li appears at a rate of 55.47 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0555%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 65 people with the full name Sylvia Li. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Sylvia
Related
Other people with the surname Li
FAQ
Sylvia Li: questions and answers
How many people are named Sylvia Li?
We estimate approximately 65 people in the United States share the full name Sylvia Li. That works out to about 1 in 5,273,144 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0339%) with the surname frequency (55.47 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Sylvia Li?
We classify Sylvia Li as "Very Rare". About 1 in 5,273,144 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Sylvia a male or female name?
Sylvia is predominantly female. Out of 244,949 total SSA registrations, 0.4% were male and 99.6% were female. See the full Sylvia profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How many people are called Sylvia Li?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.