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Cynthia

The name Cynthia peaked for boys at #864 in 1957. Cynthia is also used for girls, ranking #826 in 2024.

The name Cynthia is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "moon goddess; woman from Kynthos".

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Sleek and serious, yet bright and energetic at the same time, Cynthia appears in classic mythology as an epithet for Artemis or Diana. While it is now a more neglected choice, it was once hugely popular in the middle of the 20th-century, peaking at #7 in the US, and in the Top 20 by diminutive Cindy.
 
The more literal meaning of the name is "woman from Kynthos", though a figurative interpretation is "moon goddess" due to its link to Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon and the hunt, who was born on the mountain of Cynthus. Diana is her Roman equivalent. 
 
A favorite of Elizabethan poets, Cynthia was first used in the English-speaking world during the Renaissance period, but didn't become a common given name until the 19th-century. Some English writers used the name to denote Queen Elizabeth I as a virgin moon goddess, such as in Ben Jonson's allegorical comedy Cynthia's Revels.
 Cynthia also qualifies as a nature name: the two-flowered cynthia is a yellow wildflower in the aster family. 
 The name appears in Elizabeth Gaskell's final novel, Wives and Daughters, along with the film Cynthia, in which Elizabeth Taylor had one of her first grown up roles. There are also Cynthias in the popular show Call the Midwife and the game franchise, Pokemon.
 Notable namesakes include ballerina Cynthia Gregory, writer Cynthia Ozick, actress Cynthia Nixon, and designer Cynthia Rowley. Both Cyndi Lauper and Cindy Crawford were born Cynthia. A contemporary bearer is Cynthia Eviro, the actress and singer who plays Elphaba in the Wicked movies. 
 A more modern, Cindy-avoiding nickname is Thea, and an attractive Italian form is Cinzia (CHIN-zia).

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The name Cynthia is currently ranked #826 in U.S. births. and peaked for girls at #7 in 1957. The name is most popular in CYNTHIA, CYNTHIA, and CYNTHIA. Cynthia is occasionally used for boys in 2003.

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