Cylas

Cylas is a contemporary spelling of Silas, the name of a companion of Paul in the New Testament. Silas is often connected with Latin Silvanus, from silva, meaning wood or forest. Other explanations have been proposed, so the woodland meaning is best presented as one established interpretation rather than an unquestioned ancient translation.

The biblical Silas traveled with Paul and appears in the account of their imprisonment at Philippi. Cylas preserves the familiar sound while replacing the initial s with c. It therefore has a modern written form and an older biblical namesake. Families drawn to the story can compare Cylas with Silas, while recognizing that the alternative spelling itself does not occur in the ancient narrative.