Cynethia
Feminine name likely derived from Greek meaning "of noble birth" or "noble woman".
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the first name Cynethia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cynethia today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cynethia births was 1967 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cynethia. 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
167
~ 1 in 2,052,421 Americans
Peak year
1967
15 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1992 SSA rank
#10,738
Tracked since 1955
Census
Cynethia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 169 people with the first name Cynethia, which placed it at #42,487 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
#42,487
National first-name rank
People counted
169
169 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
87.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cynethia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cynethia is Black at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Cynethia 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 Cynethia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.6% · 148
- White8.9% · 15
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Popularity
Cynethia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cynethia from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 59 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cynethia 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 Cynethia 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 Cynethia
The given name Cynethia has its roots in ancient Greek culture and language. The name is believed to be derived from the Greek word "kynēgos," which means "hunter." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who were skilled hunters or had a connection to hunting activities.
In the classical Greek era, the name Cynethia may have been used as a feminine form of the masculine name Kynegos. However, there are no known historical records or ancient texts that provide clear evidence of its usage during that time period.
The earliest documented instances of the name Cynethia can be traced back to the Byzantine Empire, where it was occasionally used among the Greek-speaking population. One notable figure bearing this name was Cynethia of Constantinople, a noblewoman who lived in the 11th century and was known for her philanthropic efforts.
During the Renaissance period, the name Cynethia gained some popularity in Italy, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. In the 16th century, a Florentine artist named Cynethia di Bartolomeo gained recognition for her intricate woodcarvings and sculptures, which adorned numerous churches and palaces across Italy.
In the 17th century, a French author and philosopher named Cynethia Lecomte was born in Paris. She gained recognition for her writings on ethics and social justice, which were considered groundbreaking for her time.
In the late 18th century, a British explorer named Cynethia Fairfield was one of the first European women to travel extensively in the Middle East and North Africa. Her detailed journals and accounts of her travels provided invaluable insights into the cultures and customs of the regions she visited.
One of the most notable figures with the name Cynethia was Cynethia Everhart, an American abolitionist and suffragette who lived in the 19th century. She was a vocal advocate for the abolition of slavery and the rights of women, and played a significant role in the early women's rights movement in the United States.
While the name Cynethia has appeared throughout history in various cultures and regions, it has never been a widely popular or common name. Its rarity and unique origins have contributed to its distinctive character and appeal among those who have chosen to use it.
People
Cynethia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cynethia 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
Cynethia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cynethia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 167 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cynethia 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 2,052,421 US residents.
Is Cynethia a common name?
We classify Cynethia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 190 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cynethia most popular?
The single biggest year for Cynethia was 1967, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cynethia is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cynethia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 169 people with the name Cynethia, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,487 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 Cynethia 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 Cynethia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cynethia appears almost entirely female. Of the 169 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Cynethia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cynethia is Black at 87.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Cynethia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Cynethia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (148 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 Cynethia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cynethia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cynethia 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 Cynethia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cynethia 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 Cynethia 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 people are called Cynethia?
See how many people have the name Cynethia on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.