Cynthia


"Cynthia", 1947
Origin: Greek
Gender: Female
Meaning: "Woman from Kynthos"
Pronunciation: SIN-thee-uh
Other forms: Kynthia, Cinzia, Cintia

While most would say Cynthia is hopelessly dated, I think it's just about time for her to be brought back. It also has a great pedigree and long history, has a nickname practically built in, and for me, is the name of my grandmother. Cynthia is the Latinized form of Kynthia, a Greek name meaning "woman from Kynthos". Kynthos, or Cynthus as its known today, is a mountain on the island of Delos. According to mythology, Leto gave birth to the twins Artemis, Goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and virginity, and Apollo, God of the sun, prophecy, and music, on the island. Because of this, Artemis is sometimes called Cynthia.

It started being used as a name sometime around the Renaissance, but didn't really become popular until the 19th century. It's been in the top 1000 since 1880, and peaked at #7 in 1957, and ever since then has been on the decline. As far as namesakes, there is no shortage of them. There is designer Cynthia Rowley, actress Cynthia Nixon, Brazilian model Cintia Dicker, a movie where Elizabeth Taylor plays the eponymous "Cynthia" made in 1947, and even a volume of poetry called "Cynthia, with Certaine Sonnets" written in 1595 by Richard Barnfield. So, I'm stumped as to why it isn't used more often; it could almost be considered a classic with such frequent usage for so long. I hope in the future, we can expect to see more little Cynthia's.

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