Syl is a shortened version of the name Sylvester
- Syl Johnson, American blues and soul singer
SYL may stand for:
- Strapping young lad, a term or phrase confirming an able-bodied youth.
- Strapping Young Lad, a Canadian heavy metal band
- Strapping Young Lad (album), the band's eponymous third album
- Serbian Youth League, the largest Serbian youth organization in the world
- Somali Youth League, the first political party of Somalia
- Socialist Youth League, a number of groups with that name
- Suomen ylioppilaskuntien liitto (SYL) ry, The National Union of University Students in Finland
- Sutlej Yamuna link Canal, a canal in India to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers