Cyriel
A masculine Flemish name derived from the Greek Kyrillos, meaning "lordly" or "masterful".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Cyriel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cyriel today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cyriel births was 1920 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cyriel. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cyriel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1920
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1920 SSA rank
#4,447
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Cyriel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Cyriel 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 Cyriel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Cyriel
The name Cyriel originated from the Late Latin name Cyrillus, which derived from the Greek name Kyrillos. This Greek name meant "lordly" or "masterful" and was formed from the Greek word kyrios, meaning "lord" or "master." The name Cyrillus was borne by several early Christian saints, including St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315-386), a distinguished theologian who served as Bishop of Jerusalem.
During the Middle Ages, the name Cyrillus evolved into various spellings across different European languages. In areas under Germanic influence, it became Cyriel, while in Slavic regions, it took the form Kirill or Cyril. The name Cyriel gained particular popularity in regions like the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands) and parts of Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cyriel can be found in the 9th century, when Cyriel of Reichenau (c. 835-909) was a renowned Benedictine monk, scholar, and poet who lived in the monastery of Reichenau, located in present-day Germany. His works, including biblical commentaries and hagiographies, were highly influential during the Carolingian Renaissance.
In the 13th century, Cyriel Boutseele (c. 1200-1262) was a Flemish theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Paris. He was known for his contributions to the development of scholastic philosophy and for his writings on logic and metaphysics.
Another notable figure was Cyriel Verschaeve (1874-1949), a Flemish priest, poet, and writer who played a significant role in the Flemish cultural revival movement during the early 20th century. His literary works, including poems and novels, were instrumental in promoting Flemish language and culture.
In the realm of music, Cyriel Willecomme (1900-1966) was a Belgian composer and conductor who made significant contributions to sacred music. His compositions, including masses and motets, were widely performed in churches across Belgium and beyond.
One of the more recent historical figures with the name Cyriel was Cyriel Buysse (1859-1932), a renowned Flemish novelist and playwright. His literary works, such as the novel "The Bitter Crucible" ("Het Bittere Kruyd"), explored themes of rural life and social issues in late 19th-century Flanders.
People
Cyriel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cyriel 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
Cyriel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cyriel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cyriel 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 - US residents.
Is Cyriel a common name?
We classify Cyriel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cyriel most popular?
The single biggest year for Cyriel was 1920, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cyriel is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Cyriel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cyriel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cyriel 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.
Is Cyriel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cyriel 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 Cyriel 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Cyriel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.