Cyrus
/ˈsaɪ.ɹəs/
The name Cyrus is the Latin form of the Greek Kyros (Κῦρος), which itself transliterates the Old Persian Kūruš.
The etymology is contested: classical tradition reported by Herodotus and Plutarch connects it to the Persian word for “sun” (khur or khorshid), while modern Iranologists often prefer a derivation from an Elamite word meaning “he who bestows care” or
from a Proto-Iranian root *kūru-, “young, hero.” The ancient Akkadian inscriptions render the name Kuraš.
What the name Cyrus means
The name’s towering bearer is Cyrus the Great (c. 600-530 BCE), founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, which at its height stretched from the Aegean to the Indus.
His conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE is commemorated on the Cyrus Cylinder, often described as 1 of the earliest charters of human rights for its declaration permitting exiled peoples, including the Jews of Babylon, to return to their homelands.
The biblical books of Ezra and Isaiah name Cyrus as God’s anointed (mashiach) in Isaiah 45:1.
Xenophon’s Cyropaedia (c. 370 BCE) presents Cyrus as the model philosopher-king, and the work became required reading for European statesmen from Cicero through Thomas Jefferson, who owned 2 copies.
The early Christian church produced Saint Cyrus of Alexandria, a physician martyred around 303, whose relics were translated to Rome and venerated alongside his companion John.
U.S. Social Security records list Cyrus in the top 1000 continuously from 1880 through the early 1930s, reflecting the Victorian fondness for classical and biblical names.
The name then declined sharply, dropping out of the top 1000 by 1934, before re-entering in 2001 and climbing steadily to the top 400 by 2020.
Contemporary bearers include the Cyrus family of American entertainers, led by country musician Billy Ray Cyrus and his daughter Miley Cyrus, as well as Persian-American journalist Cyrus Farivar.
The name carries an unusual combination of ancient imperial grandeur and modern ease of pronunciation.
US popularity over time
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Famous people named Cyrus
Cyrus - similar names
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