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Name

Cyrus

/SY-rus/ MasculinePersian

Meaning

Cyrus is a masculine name of Persian origin meaning “traditionally linked to the sun”.

Cyrus is the Greek form of Kurush, the name of the Persian king who founded the Achaemenid Empire; ancient writers connected it to the Persian word for sun, though its true origin is debated. It carries imperial gravitas softened by the friendly nickname Cy.

A consistent US top-500 boys' name with renewed momentum in the 2020s.

Popularity in the United States

Boys

Ranked #268 in 2025 · peak #253 in 2024

Data: US Social Security Administration, top-1000 ranks.

At a glance

Origin
Persian
Gender
Masculine
Pronounced
/SY-rus/
Themes
SunStrength

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Questions

  • Cyrus is a masculine name of Persian origin meaning “traditionally linked to the sun”. Cyrus is the Greek form of Kurush, the name of the Persian king who founded the Achaemenid Empire; ancient writers connected it to the Persian word for sun, though its true origin is debated.

  • Cyrus is traditionally a masculine (boy) name. It is a consistent US top-500 boys' name with renewed momentum in the 2020s.

  • The name Cyrus comes from Persian. Cyrus is the Greek form of Kurush, the name of the Persian king who founded the Achaemenid Empire; ancient writers connected it to the Persian word for sun, though its true origin is debated. It carries imperial gravitas softened by the friendly nickname Cy.

  • Cyrus is pronounced SY-rus.

More names that mean sun

Names that share this meaning.

  1. Agni MasculineSanskrit“fire”
  2. Áine FeminineIrish“radiance, brilliance”
  3. Apollo MasculineGreek“uncertain; god of the sun and light”
  4. Arun MasculineSanskrit“reddish glow of the rising sun”
  5. Elio MasculineItalian“sun”
  6. Lucia FeminineLatin“light”