Find out how popular the last name Cyrus is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cyrus.

Cyrus, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cyrus surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cyrus in America

Cyrus is the 7322nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cyrus surname appeared 4,557 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cyrus.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cyrus to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cyrus

The surname Cyrus originates from the ancient Persian Empire, specifically from the name Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC. The name Cyrus is derived from the Persian word "Kuru," which means "the sun."

The name Cyrus gained significance during the reign of Cyrus the Great, who ruled from 559 BC to 530 BC. He was known for his military conquests and for establishing one of the largest empires in ancient history, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River.

The name Cyrus can be found in various ancient texts and inscriptions, including the Behistun Inscription, which is a multi-lingual inscription carved into the rock face of Mount Behistun in modern-day Iran. This inscription, dating back to around 520 BC, details the accomplishments and genealogy of Darius the Great, who was a successor of Cyrus the Great.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Cyrus was Cyrus the Younger, a Persian prince and younger son of Darius II, who lived from around 423 BC to 401 BC. He is remembered for his failed attempt to seize the Persian throne from his elder brother, Artaxerxes II.

In later centuries, the name Cyrus appeared in various historical records and chronicles. For example, Cyrus the Philosopher, a Neoplatonist philosopher from the 5th century AD, was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time.

Another notable individual with the surname Cyrus was Cyrus the Great of Persia, a Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD and was executed for his religious beliefs during the reign of the Sassanid king, Bahram II.

The name Cyrus also gained recognition in the Middle Ages, with individuals like Cyrus of Panopolis, a 5th-century Byzantine poet and grammarian, and Cyrus of Alexandria, a 7th-century Melkite Patriarch of Alexandria.

In more recent history, Cyrus is also the surname of several notable figures, including Cyrus N. Ray, an American lawyer and politician who served as the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana from 1893 to 1897, and Cyrus Eaton, a Canadian-American banker and businessman born in 1883, who played a significant role in promoting trade and cultural exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cyrus

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cyrus.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cyrus was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cyrus has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cyrus was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cyrus, please contact us.

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