Sylus is a modern spelling of Silas, a New Testament name that is usually traced to the Latin Silvanus, god of the woods, so it means "of the forest" or "woodland"; some scholars read it instead as a Greek form of the Aramaic Saul, "asked for". The y spelling matches names like Cyrus and Titus. Sylus has moved from number 10191 in 2000 to a peak of number 1753 in 2013 and ranks number 2180 in 2025.