Gender Masculine
Scripts Σίλας(Greek)
Pronounced Pron. /ˈsaɪ.ləs/(English)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

The name of a companion of Saint Paul in the New Testament. It is probably a short form of Silvanus, a name that Paul calls him by in the epistles. It is possible that Silvanus and Silas were Latin and Greek forms of the Hebrew name Saul (via Aramaic).

As an English name it was not used until after the Protestant Reformation. It was utilized by George Eliot for the title character in her novel Silas Marner (1861).

Related Names

VariantsSylas(English) Silouanos(Biblical Greek)
Other Languages & CulturesSilvanus(Ancient Roman) Sylas(Biblical Polish) Silvijo(Croatian) Sylvain(French) Silvano, Silvio(Italian) Silvius(Late Roman) Sílvio(Portuguese) Silvius(Roman Mythology) Silviu(Romanian) Silvio(Spanish)
User SubmissionSilás

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   simple   serious  

Categories

Sources & References

  1. Strong, James. The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, entry g4609, available from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?strongs=g4609.
Entry updated October 6, 2024