BabyNameScoreName profile
Cyrus
masculine
This reflects the first name on its own. The full-name report scores the complete combination separately.
Check it with a full name ↓Cyrus is the Latin form of the Greek Κῦρος (Kŷros), itself derived from the Old Persian royal name Kūruš. The name's precise literal meaning is unresolved among scholars: proposed interpretations include 'young' or 'the young one, child' (from a common Iranian root kur-, 'be born'), 'humiliator (of the enemy in verbal contest),' and 'like the Sun' (per ancient Greek historians Ctesias and Plutarch); some scholars argue for a non-Persian Elamite origin instead, meaning 'he who bestows care.' The name is historically best known as that of Cyrus the Great (c. 600-530 BC), founder of the Achaemenid Empire.
Why it works
- a well-established name with a clear, learnable pronunciation
- spelling is short and predictable — rarely needs repeating
What to know
pronounced "SY-rus" — may invite a pronunciation check on first meeting
Popularity
Distinctive — #268 in the latest U.S. ranking.
Meaning and origin
Cyrus's meaning is disputed among sources — the documented reading on file is that Cyrus means Cyrus's literal Old Persian meaning is genuinely disputed among scholars, and sources do not converge on a single answer: proposed meanings include 'young' or 'the young one, child' (from a common Iranian root kur-, 'be born,' comparable to Kurdish kur, 'son/little boy'), 'humiliator (of the enemy in verbal contest)' (from an Indo-European root, per linguist Karl Hoffmann), and 'like the Sun' (per the ancient Greek historians Ctesias and Plutarch, relating it to the Persian noun for 'sun'); some scholars additionally argue for a non-Persian Elamite origin meaning 'he who bestows care.'.
Cyrus entered English usage among Puritans following the Protestant Reformation, drawing on the name's prominence in the Hebrew Bible (where Cyrus the Great is credited with freeing the captive Jews of Babylon); its modern American usage carries both this Biblical-Puritan naming layer and a classical/historical layer tied directly to Cyrus the Great.
Documented origin: Cyrus is the Latin form of the Greek Κῦρος (Kŷros), itself derived from the Old Persian royal name Kūruš. The name's precise literal meaning is unresolved among scholars: proposed interpretations include 'young' or 'the young one, child' (from a common Iranian root kur-, 'be born'), 'humiliator (of the enemy in verbal contest),' and 'like the Sun' (per ancient Greek historians Ctesias and Plutarch); some scholars argue for a non-Persian Elamite origin instead, meaning 'he who bestows care.' The name is historically best known as that of Cyrus the Great (c. 600-530 BC), founder of the Achaemenid Empire.
How it travels
English and Turkish are shown by default; German is included when it adds a meaningfully different reading.
Spelling stability: moderate — based on letter-pattern analysis, not a documented linguistic fact.
Also documented
English (US/international): /ˈsaɪ.ɹəs/
Popularity without panic
Distinctive — #268 in the latest U.S. ranking.
Recognizable without feeling overused.
Full-name check
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Real-world considerations
- Distinctive — #268 in the latest U.S. ranking.
- Spelling note: Cyprus.
- Cyrus's Old Persian literal meaning is a genuine, unresolved scholarly dispute ('young/child', 'humiliator of the enemy', 'like the Sun', or a non-Persian Elamite 'he who bestows care'); no single interpretation is treated as definitive across the sources reviewed.
Explore alternatives
Documented as a related name or variant form.
Documented as a related name or variant form.
Documented as a related name or variant form.