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Girl · Greek, through Latin
Sybil
Say it: SIB-ul
Meaning
From Greek sibylla, the word for a prophetess of the ancient world; the origin of the Greek word itself is unknown.
Certainscholars agree on this meaning.
Brought by the Normans and common in medieval England, since the sibyls were believed to have foretold Christ.
Its wave through time
A revival, back after decades away
In the United States
- 19,650 babies given this name since 1881
- At its height in 1919, about 1 in 2,200 girls
- 101 babies in 2020
Through the ages
- The High and Late Middle Ages1100 to 1450
- The Renaissance1400 to 1600
- Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Sibyl, Sibilla, Sibley
| Latin | Sibylla |
|---|---|
| French | Sibylle |
| Italian | Sibilla |
| German | Sibylle |
Famous bearers
- Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem
- Sybil Thorndike, English actress
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- Medieval European charters and records
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- Royal and noble genealogies
- Well-known works of literature
- National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
- United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.
Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.