Sylvester

Derived from the Latin silvestris, meaning of the forest or wild. It gained early traction in Europe through Pope Sylvester I in the fourth century and entered English use after the Norman Conquest. In the United States, it functioned as a reliable turn-of-the-century staple before thinning out after the First World War.

The name carries the unmistakable weight of early twentieth-century census rolls, split evenly in modern memory between Hollywood action franchises and Saturday morning cartoons. An estimated average bearer is fifty-eight years old, though the name peaked long before that in 1920. It suggests heavy wool overcoats, rotary phones, and men who know how to wire a basement fuse box. It reads older than almost anyone who currently answers to it.