Meaning and background
The story behind Silas
Silas appears in early Christian texts as the name of a companion of Paul. It is often linked with the Roman name Silvanus, which itself relates to woodland, but the precise relationship between the two names has been debated. The sound and biblical history are secure associations; calling Silas definitively “of the forest” overstates the evidence.
- Origin
- Biblical personal name, often explained as a form related to Silvanus; the precise derivation is uncertain. Source
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Everyday moments“Silas, come here!”
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About Silas
Recorded as a dog’s name
Silas appears in 11 dog licence records in the 2026 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/saɪləs/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/saɪləs/ · primary stress on syllable 1S AY1 L AH0 S
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.