Silas is a Greek name, most likely a short form of Silvanus, from the Latin silva, and means "of the forest" or "woodland". In the New Testament Silas is the companion of Paul on his missionary journeys, and George Eliot's novel Silas Marner kept the name alive in English. Silas ranked number 602 in the United States in 2000, climbed from number 128 in 2015 into the top 100 in 2020 and reached number 71 among boys in 2025, its highest rank ever.