 Cynthia, a 1917 portrait by William Strang. | |
| Pronunciation | English: /ˈsɪnθiːə/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Greek |
| Meaning | “From Mount Cynthus” |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Cindy, Cyn, Cyndi, Cyndy, Cindi, Cinthia, Cintia, Cinta, Cinzia, Cyndia, Cynthya, Cinthya. |
Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: Κυνθία, Kynthía, "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 17th century.[1] There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, or occasionally to Thea, Tia, or Thia.[2] [3]
Cynthia was originally an epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis, who according to legend was born on Mount Cynthus on Delos. Selene, the Greek personification of the moon, and the Roman Diana were also sometimes called "Cynthia".[4] In Ancient Roman literature 'Cynthia' is the name of Propertius' love.
It has ranked among the 1,000 most used names for girls in the United States since 1880 and among the top 100 names between 1945 and 1993. It peaked in usage between 1956 and 1963, when it was among the 10 most popular names for American girls. It has since declined in use in the United States and ranked in 806th position on the popularity chart there in 2021.[5] It was also among the top 100 names in use for girls in Canada between 1949 and 1978,[6] among the top 100 names in use for girls in the United Kingdom between 1934 and 1944 [7] among the top 500 names in France for girls between 1970 and 2008,[8] and among the top 500 names in Spain between 1980 and 2010.[9]
