Cyrus
Meaning
possibly "sun" or "throne"; famously borne by Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire
The story
Few names reach back as far as Cyrus, from the Old Persian Kurush; scholars still debate whether it meant sun or throne, and perhaps it carried both. Its towering bearer is Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire in the sixth century BC, an emperor remembered less for conquest than for tolerance: the Hebrew Bible honors him as the king who freed the Jewish exiles in Babylon and sent them home to rebuild Jerusalem. In American records the name's strongest era is unfolding right now. The past few decades have brought a steady, unhurried climb, and Cyrus currently sits at its strongest level yet, part of a wider revival of grand ancient names. Twenty-five centuries after the emperor, his name is quietly having its American moment, and it wears the attention the way it wears everything: regally.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Cyrus peaked in the 2010s and the 2020s in nearly equal measure.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
40 people · the #77,494 first name in Brazil · median age 40
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Cyrus
Most people given the name Cyrus in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Cyrus deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Cyrus 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 Cyrus fits with your family’s names and surname.
Keep exploring
Names like Cyrus · Persian baby names · Names of generals and commanders · Names of kings and queens
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