Cynthia

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Girl · Greek

Cynthia

Say it: SIN-thee-uh

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Greek, 'woman of Mount Kynthos', an epithet of Artemis.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

A poets' name for the moon goddess, popular in the US in the 1950s and 60s.

Its wave through time

A fashion of the 1950s

In the United States

711,851 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1957, about 1 in 52 girls
307 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English Italian Spanish American Ancient Greek Latin

The family of the name

Other spellings: Cinthia

Italian	Cinzia
Spanish	Cintia
French	Cynthia

Famous bearers

Cynthia Nixon, US actress

Names worth a look

AmyGirlFrom Old French amée 'beloved'.Middle Ages · peak 1975

AngelaGirlFrom Greek angelos 'messenger, angel', through Latin.Middle Ages · peak 1975

MelissaGirlFrom Greek melissa 'honeybee'.Greece · peak 1979

CatherineGirlGreek Aikaterinē, of unknown origin. Its link to katharos 'pure' is a later folk etymology that changed the Latin…Early Medieval · peak 1909

VirginiaGirlFrom the Roman family name Verginius, of uncertain origin, though long associated with Latin virgo 'maiden'.Rome · peak 1922

KatherineGirlFrom Greek Aikaterinē, of unknown origin; the link with katharos 'pure' is a later reinterpretation that changed the…Middle Ages · peak 1887

CynethrythGirlFrom Old English cyne 'royal' and thryth 'strength, power'.Viking & Saxon · forgotten

XanthippeGirlFrom Greek xanthos 'yellow, blond' and hippos 'horse'.Greece · forgotten

Where this comes from

Ancient Greek literature and history (Homer, Herodotus, Plutarch and others)
Well-known works of literature
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.