Cynthia
Meaning
from Greek Kynthia, 'woman from Cynthus,' an epithet of Artemis; associated with the moon goddess but not literally meaning 'moon goddess'
Goes by Cindy
The story
Cynthia began as a place name turned divine title. The Greek Kynthia means woman from Mount Cynthus on the island of Delos, the legendary birthplace of Artemis and Apollo. Because Kynthia was one of Artemis's epithets, poets later used Cynthia for the moon goddess, but the name itself does not literally mean moon goddess. Renaissance writers revived the classical title, and English speakers began using it as a given name. The American curve is unmistakably midcentury: Cynthia appears in the 1930s, climbs hard in the 1940s, reaches its highest point in the 1950s, and falls steadily after the 1960s. Cyndi and Cindy became familiar short forms, while Cynthia kept the fuller classical shape. It is a useful kind of mythological name, attached to a goddess by history without pretending that its geographic root says more than it does.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Cynthia peaked in the 1950s.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
7,019 people · the #2,166 first name in Brazil · about 1 in 28,571 · median age 39
Among people named Cynthia living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Cynthia
Most people given the name Cynthia in the United States were born between 1950 and 1979. The Cynthia you meet today is most often in her 50s or 60s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Cynthia deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Cynthia truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Cynthia fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Does Cynthia fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Cynthia to your family’s tree →