Cylus
An invented name of unknown meaning or origin.
Name Census estimates that about 862 living Americans carry the first name Cylus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cylus today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cylus births was 2012 (77 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cylus. 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
862
~ 1 in 397,627 Americans
Peak year
2012
77 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,802
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Cylus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cylus from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 544 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Cylus remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cylus 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 Cylus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cylus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Cylus, while Pennsylvania, Oregon, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cylus
The name Cylus is a relatively obscure one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. Some linguists believe it may have roots in ancient Celtic or Gaulish languages, while others speculate it could be derived from an old Germanic or Proto-Indo-European word. Regardless of its linguistic roots, the name seems to have been relatively uncommon throughout recorded history.
One of the earliest known references to the name Cylus comes from a collection of ancient Roman inscriptions dating back to the 2nd century AD. These inscriptions, found in the ruins of a small town near modern-day Trier, Germany, mention a man named Cylus who was a local magistrate. Beyond this brief mention, however, little is known about his life or background.
In the Middle Ages, the name appears to have been somewhat more prevalent, though still rare. A 9th-century monk named Cylus is recorded as having lived in a monastery in what is now southern France. He is said to have been a skilled calligrapher and illuminator of religious texts, though none of his works have survived to the present day.
During the Renaissance, a renowned Italian painter by the name of Cylus Fiorentino (1475-1542) gained some renown for his frescoes adorning churches in Florence and Rome. His works, while not as well-known as those of his contemporaries like Michelangelo and Raphael, were highly regarded in their time for their attention to detail and vivid colors.
In more recent centuries, the name Cylus has remained relatively uncommon, though a few notable individuals have borne it. Cylus Harding (1824-1892) was a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in South America, documenting the region's flora and fauna. His detailed journals and illustrations provided valuable insights into the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest.
Finally, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Cylus Vance (1916-2002), an American diplomat and politician who served as Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1980. Vance was instrumental in negotiating the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, and was a respected figure in international diplomacy.
While the name Cylus may be obscure today, its long and varied history serves as a testament to the rich tapestry of human cultures and languages from which our names are derived.
People
Cylus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cylus 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
Cylus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cylus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 862 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cylus 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 397,627 US residents.
Is Cylus a common name?
We classify Cylus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 869 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cylus most popular?
The single biggest year for Cylus was 2012, when 77 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cylus is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cylus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cylus in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.