US rank #827 Girls' name Peak 1957 711,201 births

Cynthia — #827 US girls' name

711,201 babies named Cynthia in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1957. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s5821890s7011900s6941910s19111920s36611930s96661940s580601950s2634291960s1965961970s802001980s416671990s313122000s151702010s59452020s1607
#827
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 95% of names given to girls today.

1950s
Peak decade

37% of everyone ever named Cynthia was born in this single decade.

1957
Single peak year

39,340 babies were named Cynthia in 1957 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Cynthia

The Social Security Administration has registered 711,201 babies named Cynthia between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Cynthia currently holds the #827 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1957, when 39,340 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Cynthia performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 263,429 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Cynthia shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 82,684 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Cynthia in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Cynthia in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 711,201 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Cynthia at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

711,201

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1957

39,340 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#827

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Cynthia popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1957)
39,340
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-10,000010,00020,00030,00040,00050,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 61

Cynthia popularity over time — boys

1,960 total births recorded since 1933 (Cynthia as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 1,960 births
020406080 200319921983197419651956194719351933 5

Cynthia by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
263,429 births that decade — 37% of Cynthia's all-time total
1880s5821890s7011900s6941910s19111920s36611930s96661940s580601950s2634291960s1965961970s802001980s416671990s313122000s151702010s59452020s1607

Cynthia by state

Where Cynthia concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Cynthia
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
82,684 11.6%
#2 Texas
60,749 8.5%
#3 New York
47,542 6.7%
#4 Illinois
39,871 5.6%
#5 Pennsylvania
35,736 5.0%
#6 Ohio
35,720 5.0%
#7 Michigan
29,098 4.1%
#8 Florida
22,337 3.1%
California share of Cynthia's total US births 11.6%
Even split

82,684 of 711,201 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.

Cynthia appears in 51 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Cynthia?
711,201 babies have been named Cynthia since 1880. It currently ranks #827 among girls. The peak year was 1957 with 39,340 births.
When was Cynthia most popular?
Cynthia was most popular in the 1950s decade with 263,429 total births. The single peak year was 1957.
Where is Cynthia most popular?
The top states for the name Cynthia are California (82,684 births), Texas (60,749 births), New York (47,542 births).
How long has the name Cynthia been used?
Cynthia has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Cynthia?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cyndi, Cyndy, Cyndee, Cynda, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Cynthia

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.