Cynthia is a feminine given name. It is often thought to be of Greek origin (Ancient Greek: Κυνθία, romanized: Kynthía, lit. 'from Mount Cynthus', on the island of Delos), but words and names with "inth" are actually Pre-Greek names belonging to another language family, before the Indo-European migrations. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 17th century. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, Cinny, or occasionally to Thea, Tia, or Thia.
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" due to their association with Artemis. In Ancient Roman literature, 'Cynthia' is the name of Propertius' love.
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Usage
It 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. It was also among the top 100 names in use for girls in Canada between 1949 and 1978, among the top 100 names in use for girls in the United Kingdom between 1934 and 1944 among the top 500 names in France for girls between 1970 and 2008, and among the top 500 names in Spain between 1980 and 2010.
Fictional characters
Cartoons, comics, manga
Cynthia Reynolds, in the US comic books published by DC Comics
Cynthia Von Doom, in the US comic books published by Marvel Comics
Cynthia Vortex, in the US animated science fiction and adventure TV series The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, voiced by Carolyn Lawrence
Movies
Cynthia Brisby, in the 1982 US animated fantasy adventure film The Secret of NIMH, voiced by Jodi Hicks
Cynthia Strode, in the US slasher media franchise Halloween, played by Dee Wallace
Other uses
Cynthia (Gaba girl), a plaster mannequin of the 1930s created by Lester Gaba
Cynthia (Pokémon), the champion of the Sinnoh region in the Pokémon video games
Cynthia Brady, in the US sitcom The Brady Bunch, played by Susan Olsen
Cynthia Daggert, in the UK TV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Kay Purcell
Cynthia Marshall, in the UK TV soap opera EastEnders, played by Alexandra Bastedo
Cynthia McEachin, in the US science fiction action drama TV series Dark Angel, played by Valarie Rae Miller
Lady Cynthia Muldoon, a main character in the absurdist Tom Stoppard play The Real Inspector Hound
Cynthia Phillips, in the US drama TV series Being Mary Jane, played by Kelly Rutherford
Cynthia Ross, in the Australian TV soap opera Home and Away, played by Belinda Giblin
Cynthia Sanders, in the US TV sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, played by Tania Raymonde
Cynthia Velasquez, in the Japanese horror media franchise Silent Hill, voiced by Lisa Ortiz
Cynthia "Cindy" Vortex, a character from The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius
