girl's name
Cynthia
SIN-thee-uh
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 741,616
Scotland
#872
2022 births
Cynthia is a girl's name that began as a title for the moon goddess — it means she of Mount Cynthus, the peak on Delos where Artemis was said to have been born. It peaked in 1957 and now ranks 1013th in the United States.
- Cynthia is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1957, when 39,416 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 13,422 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Cynthia over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 582 |
| 1890s | 701 |
| 1900s | 694 |
| 1910s | 1,911 |
| 1920s | 3,661 |
| 1930s | 9,695 |
| 1940s | 58,207 |
| 1950s | 263,892 |
| 1960s | 197,150 |
| 1970s | 80,529 |
| 1980s | 41,935 |
| 1990s | 31,471 |
| 2000s | 15,183 |
| 2010s | 5,946 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,855 |
What Cynthia means
Cynthia means from Mount Cynthus, or she of Cynthus. It is a geographic epithet applied to a goddess rather than a descriptive name, so it identifies a birthplace rather than a quality.
Where Cynthia comes from
Cynthia is the Greek Kynthia, an epithet of Artemis, who with her twin Apollo was said to have been born on Mount Cynthus on the island of Delos. Because Artemis was identified with the moon, Cynthia became a poetic word for the moon itself, and Roman and later English poets used it that way for centuries — the Elizabethans applied it to Elizabeth I, casting the virgin queen as the virgin moon goddess. Its use as an ordinary given name is much later, and its American popularity in the mid twentieth century has no connection to the classical associations that carried it that far.
Cynthia in use
Cynthia peaked in the United States in 1957, when 39,416 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 1013th in the United States on 247 births, 2158th in France and 2210th in England and Wales, across 741,616 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. The concentration in one market and one generation is typical of names that rose on sound rather than on tradition.
How popular is Cynthia?
In 2025, Cynthia was given to 247 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Cynthia is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Cynthia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cynthia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cynthia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Cynthia
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Cynthia in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Cynthia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cynthia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cynthia
What does the name Cynthia mean?
She of Mount Cynthus — the peak on Delos where Artemis was said to have been born.
Is Cynthia a name for the moon?
It became one. Artemis was identified with the moon, and poets used Cynthia to mean the moon for centuries.
Is Cindy short for Cynthia?
Yes, and it has also been used as an independent name.
How popular is Cynthia?
1013th in the United States, down from a 1957 peak of 39,416 births.
Is Cynthia a girl's or a boy's name?
Cynthia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Cynthia?
Cynthia has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Cynthia?
Cynthia is usually shortened to Cindy.
Is Cynthia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cynthia currently ranks #973 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.