Cybill
A feminine name derived from the Latin "Cybele", meaning goddess of fertility.
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the first name Cybill. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cybill today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cybill births was 1973 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cybill. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
125
~ 1 in 2,742,035 Americans
Peak year
1973
31 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1997 SSA rank
#14,221
Tracked since 1972
Census
Cybill in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 182 people with the first name Cybill, which placed it at #40,748 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#40,748
National first-name rank
People counted
182
182 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
50.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cybill
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cybill is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Hispanic (15.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cybill described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cybill at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.0% · 91
- Black or African American18.1% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino15.4% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.4% · 19
- Two or more races4.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 3
Popularity
Cybill: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cybill from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 64 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Cybill remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cybill by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cybill during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cybill
The given name Cybill is believed to have originated from the French language, specifically the word "cybèle," which was derived from the ancient Greek name "Kybele." This name was associated with the Phrygian goddess Cybele, who was revered as the Great Mother of the Gods in ancient Anatolian and Greek mythology. Cybele was a prominent figure in the ancient world, particularly in Asia Minor and the Mediterranean region.
The earliest recorded use of the name Cybill can be traced back to the 16th century, when it appeared in various French literary works and records. It was likely introduced as a variation of the name Cybele, reflecting the influence of French culture and language during that time period.
One of the most notable historical figures who bore the name Cybill was Cybill Shepherd, an American actress born in 1950. She rose to fame in the 1970s with her roles in films such as "The Last Picture Show" and "Taxi Driver." Shepherd also starred in several successful television series, including "Moonlighting" and "Cybill."
Another famous Cybill was Cybill Disobedience, an American punk rock singer and musician who was active in the late 20th century. She gained popularity for her unconventional stage persona and her unique blend of punk and alternative rock music.
In the literary realm, Cybill Pines was a fictional character created by the acclaimed American author John Irving in his novel "The World According to Garp." The character played a significant role in the novel's exploration of themes such as feminism and gender roles.
Cybill Colette was a French artist and sculptor from the early 20th century. She was known for her avant-garde works and her contributions to the Cubist movement in art. Her sculptures and paintings often depicted abstract forms and geometric shapes, reflecting the artistic trends of her time.
Cybill Redcliffe was a British novelist and poet who lived in the 19th century. She gained recognition for her romantic novels and her vivid descriptions of the English countryside. Her works were popular among the literary circles of her era and helped shape the genre of romantic fiction.
While the name Cybill has its roots in ancient mythology and French language, it has gained popularity and recognition across various cultures and time periods. These historical examples demonstrate the versatility and enduring appeal of this unique and intriguing name.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Cybill
People
Cybill + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cybill as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cybill: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cybill?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 125 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cybill going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,742,035 US residents.
Is Cybill a common name?
We classify Cybill as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 135 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cybill most popular?
The single biggest year for Cybill was 1973, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cybill is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cybill in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 182 people with the name Cybill, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,748 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cybill in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cybill?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cybill appears almost entirely female. Of the 180 people counted with this name, 99.4% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cybill?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cybill is White at 50.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.1%) and Hispanic (15.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cybill most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cybill in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.0% (91 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cybill in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cybill a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cybill in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cybill still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cybill in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cybill can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Cybill?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Cybill at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.