Cynthya
Of Greek origin, a feminine name associated with the moon goddess Artemis.
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the first name Cynthya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cynthya today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cynthya births was 2001 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cynthya. 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
2001
17 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2011 SSA rank
#17,392
Tracked since 1958
Popularity
Cynthya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cynthya from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 68 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cynthya 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 Cynthya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cynthyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cynthya
The name Cynthya is derived from the Greek name Kynthia, which is an epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature. Artemis was one of the most widely venerated deities in ancient Greek religion, particularly at her birthplace on the island of Delos and later in the renowned Ephesian temple.
The name Kynthia is derived from Mount Kynthos (Κύνθος), a mountain on the island of Delos where Artemis was born. The mountain was sacred to the goddess, and her epithet Kynthia was a reference to her connection with this location. The name was also associated with the moon, as Artemis was often portrayed as the personification of the moon.
The earliest recorded use of the name Cynthya can be traced back to ancient Greek literature, such as the works of the Roman poet Propertius, who addressed his beloved as Cynthia in his elegies. The name was also mentioned in the works of other ancient writers, including Ovid and Horace.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Cynthya was Cynthia of Proconnesus, a Greek poet who lived in the 3rd century BC. She was renowned for her poetry and is considered one of the earliest known female poets in ancient Greece.
In the Middle Ages, the name Cynthya was used occasionally, though it was not as common as other names derived from Greek mythology. One notable example is Cynthia, Countess of Normandy (c. 1050 – c. 1112), a member of the Norman nobility who played a significant role in the conflicts between England and Normandy during the 11th century.
During the Renaissance period, the name Cynthya gained some popularity, particularly among the literary circles of the time. One notable figure was Cynthia Gabrielle Vendramin (c. 1451 – 1515), an Italian poet and writer who was part of the literary circle in Venice.
In more recent history, the name Cynthya has been used by several notable individuals, including Cynthia Ozick (born 1928), an American short story writer, novelist, and essayist known for her works exploring Jewish themes and the Holocaust. Another prominent figure is Cynthia Lennon (1939 – 2015), the first wife of the famous English musician John Lennon of the Beatles.
Overall, the name Cynthya has a rich history rooted in ancient Greek mythology and has been used by various notable individuals throughout history, particularly in literary and artistic circles.
People
Cynthya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cynthya 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
Cynthya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cynthya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 167 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cynthya 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 Cynthya a common name?
We classify Cynthya 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, 174 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cynthya most popular?
The single biggest year for Cynthya was 2001, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cynthya is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cynthya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cynthya 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.
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.