Sylis

Sylis is a modern spelling related to Silas, the name of an early Christian companion of Paul. Silas is often connected with Silvanus, a Latin name associated with woods or forests, although the exact development of Silas is debated. That makes the forest meaning a possible inherited connection rather than a certain translation of Sylis itself.

In the New Testament, Silas travels with Paul and appears in the account of their imprisonment at Philippi. This gives the broader name family a specific story beyond its brief sound. Sylis changes both vowels in the conventional English spelling, so its written form is contemporary even though the underlying personal-name tradition reaches back to the ancient Mediterranean.