Cynthia
About Cynthia
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).
Pronounced SIN-thee-uh.
As of October 2026, Cynthia ranked #1014 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #7 in 1957, Nameberry popularity #310.
Editor's take: The name Cynthia is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "moon goddess; woman from Kynthos".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #492 | 635 | 355.5 |
| 2015 | #540 | 580 | 324.9 |
| 2016 | #563 | 552 | 311.5 |
| 2017 | #636 | 462 | 267.6 |
| 2018 | #692 | 419 | 246.3 |
| 2019 | #748 | 378 | 225.2 |
| 2020 | #873 | 308 | 190.5 |
| 2021 | #806 | 346 | 210.9 |
| 2022 | #888 | 314 | 191.4 |
| 2023 | #871 | 308 | 192 |
| 2024 | #826 | 331 | 204.3 |
| 2025 | #1,014 | 247 | 153.7 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Cynthia.
- Tatiana
- Bianca
- Angelica
- Marina
- Clarissa
- Esmeralda
- Sabrina
- Veronica
- Violetta
- Valentina
- Roxanne
- Alithea
- Angelina
- Cassandra
- Giselle
- Estella
- Lucinda
- Hermione
- Carmen
- Miranda
Cynthia on lists
Famous Cynthias
- Cynthia Weil
American songwriter
- Cynthia Ann McKinney
U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia and Green Party presidential candidate
- Cynthia "Cyn" Santana
American model and reality TV personality ("Love & Hip Hop")
- Cynthia Bailey
American reality TV personality ("Real Housewives of Atlanta")
- Cynthia DeFelice
American novelist
- Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
American author
- (Cynthia) Jane Fellowes
sister of Princess Diana
- Cynthia Erivo
British Broadway actress
- Cynthia Dawn "Cindy" Margolis
American actress and model
- Cynthia "Cindy" Morris Sherman
American photographer & director
- Cynthia Jane "Cindy" Williams
American actress
- Cynthia Ann "Cindy" Birdsong
American singer of The Supremes
- Cynthia Ellen Nixon
American actress
- Cynthia Rylant
American novelist
- Cynthia Ozick
American novelist
- Cynthia Watros
American actress
- Cynthia Dorn
Scottish,born American actress
- Cynthia Powell Lennon
artist and first wife of musician John Lennon
- Cynthia Michele Watros
American actress
- Cynthia "Cyndi" Lauper
American singer
- Cynthia "Cindy" Crawford
American supermodel
- Cynthia Lynn Daniel
American actress; twin sister Brittany Daniel
- Cynthia Geary
American actress
- Cynthia Lynne Cooper
Dyke, American basketball player
- Cynthia Menard
Miss World Canada 2017
Cynthia in pop culture
- Cynthia "Cindy" Brady
character on The Brady Bunch
- Cynthia
doll on animated series "Rugrats"
- Cynthia "Cindy" Heller
main character in movie "Blue Valentine"
- Cynthia
mother of Marvel Comics' Doctor Doom
- Cynthia Miller
character on TV series "Call the Midwife"
- Cynthia
Sinnoh Champion in the Pokemon video games
- Cynthia Delano Banek
character in movie "Changing Lanes"
- Cynthia
A character from the game "Fire emblem Awakening"
- Cynthia
character in Freeform's "Recovery Road"
- Cynthia Reynolds aka Gypsy
character on TV's "The Flash"
- Cynthia Brandt
character in the webcomic "Riverside Extras" by Miri Chamberlain
- Cynthia Harcourt
character from “I Love Lucy”