Cydne
A feminine name of unknown origin, potentially inspired by the word "cygnet" for a young swan.
Name Census estimates that about 184 living Americans carry the first name Cydne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cydne today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cydne births was 1997 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cydne. 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
184
~ 1 in 1,862,795 Americans
Peak year
1997
11 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2006 SSA rank
#13,922
Tracked since 1948
Census
Cydne in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 252 people with the first name Cydne, which placed it at #33,030 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
#33,030
National first-name rank
People counted
252
252 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
59.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cydne
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cydne is White at 59.9%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Cydne 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 Cydne at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.9% · 151
- Black or African American28.2% · 71
- Two or more races5.2% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 5
Popularity
Cydne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cydne from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 71 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Cydne remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cydne 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 Cydne 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 Cydne
The name Cydne is a unique and intriguing moniker with an enigmatic history. Its roots can be traced back to ancient Greek, where it is believed to have originated from the word "kydnos," meaning "glorious" or "illustrious." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have been borne by individuals of high social standing or those who achieved great feats in their lifetimes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cydne can be found in the works of the renowned Greek poet, Sappho, who lived around 600 BCE. In her poetic fragments, she mentions a woman named Cydne, though little is known about this individual's life or significance.
During the Hellenistic period, which spanned from the 4th to 1st centuries BCE, the name Cydne gained popularity among the Greek-speaking populations of the Mediterranean region. It is believed that several notable figures bore this name, though historical records from that era are often fragmentary and incomplete.
In the annals of ancient Roman history, a woman named Cydne is mentioned as a priestess of the goddess Vesta during the reign of Emperor Nero in the 1st century CE. Her role as a member of the prestigious Vestal Virgins suggests that she held a position of great honor and respect within Roman society.
Fast-forwarding to the Renaissance period, a Venetian noblewoman named Cydne Contarini (1455-1520) gained recognition for her patronage of the arts and her influential social circle, which included prominent artists and intellectuals of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Cydne Andrée (1682-1749), a French opera singer and actress who performed at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris during the early 18th century. Her talented performances earned her widespread acclaim and contributed to the cultural vibrancy of the era.
In more recent times, the name Cydne has been associated with several accomplished individuals, such as Cydne Griffith (1906-1986), an American actress and dancer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and films during the 1930s and 1940s.
Additionally, Cydne Jasmin (born 1961) is a contemporary American artist known for her intricate paper sculptures and installations, which have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world.
While the name Cydne may not be as common as some other monikers, its rich history and unique linguistic origins make it a fascinating choice for those seeking a name with a touch of ancient Greek elegance and a hint of mystery.
People
Cydne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cydne 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
Cydne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cydne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 184 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cydne 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 1,862,795 US residents.
Is Cydne a common name?
We classify Cydne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 210 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cydne most popular?
The single biggest year for Cydne was 1997, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cydne is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cydne in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 252 people with the name Cydne, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,030 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 Cydne 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 Cydne?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cydne leans strongly female. 254 people counted with this name were female (97.3%), compared with 7 male bearers (2.7%). 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 Cydne?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cydne is White at 59.9%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Cydne most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cydne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.9% (151 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 Cydne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cydne a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cydne 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 Cydne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cydne 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 Cydne 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 Cydne?
See how many people share the name Cydne on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.