2000
#7,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,352
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Cyrus
From the Persian name Kūrush, meaning "far sighted" or "young," or from the Greek word kyrios, meaning "lord."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,143 Americans carry the last name Cyrus. That puts it at #7,186 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,645 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cyrus surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cyrus with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 66,645
Census rank
#7,186
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,485 bearers of the surname Cyrus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7186th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cyrus, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cyrus
Among Census respondents with the surname Cyrus, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cyrus bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cyrus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.5% · 2,445
- Black or African American34.9% · 1,566
- Two or more races5.4% · 240
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 160
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cyrus
Cyrus appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,322
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,557
+205 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 235 places
2020
#7,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,485
-72 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Up 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,087 | 4,352 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,322 | 4,557 | 1.54 | +205 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 235 places |
| 2020 | #7,186 | 4,485 | 1.50 | -72 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 136 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cyrus surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,322 | #7,186 | 1.9% |
| Count | 4,557 | 4,485 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.50 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cyrus bearers went from 4,557 to 4,485 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,322 to #7,186.
FAQ
Cyrus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cyrus?
Name Census estimates that about 5,143 living Americans carry the surname Cyrus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,645 residents.
How common is Cyrus?
Cyrus ranks #7,186 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,485 people with the surname Cyrus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cyrus.
Has Cyrus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cyrus went from 4,557 recorded bearers to 4,485. That is a decrease of 72 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,322 to #7,186.
What does the Census say about the background of Cyrus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cyrus, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.5%. The next largest groups are Black (34.9%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cyrus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (2,445 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cyrus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.5%), Black (34.9%), Two or More Races (5.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cyrus (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cyrus mean?
From the Persian name Kūrush, meaning "far sighted" or "young," or from the Greek word kyrios, meaning "lord." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cyrus (1.50 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Cyrus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.