Cynia
A feminine name derived from Latin meaning "charming" or "artistic".
Name Census estimates that about 211 living Americans carry the first name Cynia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cynia today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cynia births was 2009 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cynia. 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
211
~ 1 in 1,624,428 Americans
Peak year
2009
27 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,532
Tracked since 2000
Census
Cynia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 202 people with the first name Cynia, which placed it at #38,178 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
#38,178
National first-name rank
People counted
202
202 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
71.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cynia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cynia is Black at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.4%) and White (6.9%). 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 Cynia 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 Cynia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.8% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino11.4% · 23
- White6.9% · 14
- Two or more races6.9% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2
Popularity
Cynia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cynia from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 126 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cynia 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 Cynia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cynias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cynia
The name Cynia is believed to have its origins in ancient Greece, specifically in the region of Phocis, during the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "kynikos," which means "cynic" or "dog-like," referring to the Cynic philosophical movement founded by Antisthenes.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Cynia can be found in the writings of the Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope, a prominent figure of the Cynic movement. Diogenes is known for his ascetic lifestyle and his unconventional teachings, which emphasized self-control, rejection of material possessions, and living in harmony with nature.
Throughout history, the name Cynia has been associated with individuals who embodied the principles of the Cynic philosophy, such as simplicity, self-sufficiency, and a disdain for societal conventions. One notable figure was Cynia of Thessaly, a Cynic philosopher who lived in the 4th century BC and was known for her teachings on virtue and self-discipline.
In the 1st century AD, the Roman philosopher Epictetus, a former slave who became a renowned Stoic thinker, mentioned a Cynic named Cynia in his writings. Epictetus praised Cynia for her unwavering commitment to the Cynic way of life and her ability to live in accordance with nature.
During the Renaissance, the name Cynia gained some popularity among intellectuals and scholars who were drawn to the Cynic philosophical tradition. One such individual was Cynia Mariotti, an Italian humanist and philosopher who lived in the 15th century and was known for her writings on ethics and morality.
In more recent times, the name Cynia has been less common, but it has been carried by a few notable individuals, such as Cynia Green, an American author and poet born in 1935, who wrote extensively about nature and the human experience.
Overall, the name Cynia has a rich history rooted in the Cynic philosophical movement of ancient Greece, symbolizing a commitment to simplicity, self-sufficiency, and a rejection of societal norms. While not as widely used today, it remains a unique and meaningful name that carries a legacy of philosophical inquiry and a respect for nature.
People
Cynia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cynia 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
Cynia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cynia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 211 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cynia 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 1,624,428 US residents.
Is Cynia a common name?
We classify Cynia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 213 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cynia most popular?
The single biggest year for Cynia was 2009, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cynia is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cynia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 202 people with the name Cynia, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,178 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 Cynia 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 Cynia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cynia leans strongly female. 206 people counted with this name were female (97.6%), compared with 5 male bearers (2.4%). 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 Cynia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cynia is Black at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.4%) and White (6.9%). 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 Cynia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Cynia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (145 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 Cynia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cynia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cynia 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 Cynia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cynia 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 Cynia 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 Cynia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.