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, Cinny, or occasionally to Thea, Tia, or Thia.[2] [3]
 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, Cinny, Cinthya |
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.
Usage
editIt 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]
People
edit- Cynthia Akanga, Togolese-French dancer, choreographer, artistic director and director of live shows
- Cynthia Bailey (born 1967), American model, actress, and TV personality
- Cynthia or Cindy Bishop (born 1978), Thai model, actress, TV personality, and entrepreneur
- Cynthia or Cindy Bremser (born 1953), American runner
- Cynthia Clark (born 1942), American statistician
- Cynthia Coffman (born 1962), American murderer
- Cynthia de las Fuentes (born 1964), American counseling psychologist
- Cintia Dicker (born 1986), Brazilian model
- Cynthia Dobrinski (1950–2021), handbell composer
- Cynthia Joan Gastelle (1961–1980), formerly unidentified American murder victim
- Cynthia Gardner, geologist and volcanologist
- Cynthia Germanotta (born 1954), American philanthropist
- Cynthia Gibb (born 1963), American actress
- Cynthia Glassman, American economist
- Cynthia Gregory (born 1946), American ballet dancer
- Cynthia or Cindy Greiner (born 1957), American heptathlete and long jumper
- Cynthia Griffin Wolff (born 1936), American literary historian
- Cynthia Harvey, American ballet dancer and educator
- Cynthia Herrup, American law historian
- Cynthia Hotton (born 1969), Argentine politician
- Cynthia Kenyon, American molecular biologist
- Cynthia Tse Kimberlin, American ethnomusicologist
- Cynthia Klitbo (born 1967), Mexican actress
- Cynthia Lamptey, Ghanaian lawyer
- Cyndi Lauper (born 1953), American musician and LGBT rights activist
- Cynthia Ling Lee, American dancer and choreographer
- Cynthia Lennon (1939–2015), first wife of musician John Lennon
- Cynthia McKinney (born 1955), American politician
- Cynthia, Christian name of Saori Minami (born 1954), Japanese singer
- Lady Cynthia Mosley (1898–1933), British politician
- Cynthia Nilson, Argentinian singer and songwriter
- Cynthia Nixon (born 1966), American actress
- Cynthia Olavarría (born 1982), Puerto Rican model
- Cynthia Ortega (born 1956), Dutch politician
- Cynthia Ozick (born 1928), American writer
- Cynthia Richards (born 1944), Jamaican singer
- Cynthia Dawn Ritchie, an American origin, socialite and blogger involved in Pakistani affairs
- Cynthia Deyanira Rodríguez Ruiz (born 1984), Mexican reality TV personality
- Cynthia Rothrock (born 1957), American martial artist and actress
- Cynthia Rowley, American fashion designer
- Cynthia Rudin (born 1976), American computer scientist and statistician
- Cynthia Ryder (born 1966), American rower
- Cynthia Morgan St. John (1852–1919), American Wordsworthian, book collector, and author
- Amy Elizabeth Thorpe (1910–1963), an American spy codenamed "Cynthia"
- Cynthia (Torres), American freestyle singer
- Cynthia Valdez (born 1987), Mexican rhythmic gymnast
- Cynthia Villar (born 1950), Filipino politician
- Cynthia Watros (born 1968), American actress
- Cynthia Weil (1940–2023), American songwriter
- Cynthia Wesley (1949–1963), a victim of the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing
- Cynthia Wong, spouse of Hong Kong businessman Victor Li Tzar-kuoi
- Cynthia Woodhead (born 1964), American athlete
- Cynthia Wu (born 1978), Taiwanese business executive and politician
Fictional characters
edit- Cynthia, with certain Sonnets, and the legend of Cassandra, panegyric by Richard Barnfield (1574–1620)
- Cynthia’s Revels, play by Ben Jonson (1572–1637)
- Cynthia, Angelica's doll on the cartoon Rugrats
- Sinthia Schmidt, a.k.a. Sin (Marvel Comics), comic book supervillainess
- Cynthia, a plaster mannequin of the 1930s created by Lester Gaba
- Cynthia, a diclonius and one of four clones of Mariko in the manga "Elfen Lied"
- Cynthia, the champion of the Sinnoh region in the Pokémon video games
- Cynthia, a character in Fire Emblem Awakening
- Cynthia Lamonde, a major character in the book "Praise" by Andrew McGahan
- Cynthia Mitchell, antagonist in Lucky Stiff played by Donna Dixon
- Cynthia, a central character in the poetry of Propertius
- Cynthia Kirkpatrick, a character in Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006). Oxford Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. p. 66. ISBN 0-19-861060-2.
- ^ "Cynthia". Nameberry.com.
- ^ Sandel, Abby (27 April 2009). "Name of the Day: Cynthia". appellation.net. Appellation Mountain(blog). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
- ^ Pannen, p. 96.
- ^ "Popularity of a Name (United States Social Security Administration)". www.ssa.gov.
- ^ Campbell, Mike. "Behind the Name: Popularity for the Name Cynthia in Canada". www.behindthename.com.
- ^ Campbell, Mike. "Behind the Name: Popularity for the Name Cynthia in England and Wales". www.behindthename.com.
- ^ Campbell, Mike. "Behind the Name: Popularity for the Name Cynthia in France". www.behindthename.com.
- ^ Campbell, Mike. "Behind the Name: Popularity for the Name Cynthia in Spain". www.behindthename.com.
References
edit- Pannen, Imke, When the Bad Bleeds: Mantic Elements in English Renaissance Revenge Tragedy. Volume 3 of Representations & Reflections; V&R unipress GmbH, 2010. ISBN 9783899716405
External links
edit
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