boys' name ★ peaked 2010

Cy

Meaning A diminutive of the male given name Cyril Gender Boy · 1% girls Rank 2025 #2,540 Trend → Stable

A diminutive of the male given name Cyril.

Rank 2025
#2,540
among boys · ↓189 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
52
named Cy · -13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 32,848
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2010
117 babies
All-time total
3,921
#2,136 all-time among boys
First recorded
1902
in Social Security records

Cy popularity over time

3,921 babies have been named Cy since 1902, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – 11 11 1 – #1,037
1910s – 81 81 8 +636% #1,548
1920s – 63 63 6 -22% #2,367
1930s – 61 61 6 -3% #2,297
1940s – 78 78 8 +28% #2,005
1950s – 211 211 21 +171% #1,346
1960s – 196 196 20 -7% #1,676
1970s – 300 300 30 +53% #1,455
1980s – 346 346 35 +15% #1,414
1990s 5 501 506 51 +46% #1,560
2000s 5 892 897 90 +77% #1,403
2010s 6 803 809 81 -10% #1,416
2020s (to 2025) 7 355 362 60 -25% #2,015

Where Cy is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 51 0.03 outside top 500
2027 51 0.03 outside top 500
2028 50 0.03 outside top 500
2029 50 0.03 outside top 500
2030 49 0.03 outside top 500

Where Cy is most popular

Boys named Cy per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.034 per 1,000. Strongest in New York, California, and Texas.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Cy born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New York 26 0.060 +79%
California 41 0.045 +34%
Texas 33 0.037 +12%
Washington 6 0.037 +9%
Pennsylvania 6 0.023 -33%
Ohio 5 0.019 -44%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Cy

Cy is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,540 in 2025 with 52 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1902, 3,921 American babies have been named Cy. Its peak came in 2010, when 117 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Cy stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Cy?

The median living Cy is about 21 years old; half are between 13 and 39. An estimated 3,500 people named Cy are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Cy year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 52 #2,540
2024 – – 60 #2,351
2023 7 #12,430 75 #2,015
2022 – – 58 #2,416
2021 – – 45 #2,785
2020 – – 65 #2,144
2019 – – 72 #2,023
2018 – – 68 #2,086
2017 – – 45 #2,721
2016 6 #14,743 62 #2,186
2015 – – 61 #2,215
2014 – – 71 #2,006
2013 – – 99 #1,572
2012 – – 109 #1,479
2011 – – 99 #1,573
2010 – – 117 #1,416
2009 – – 99 #1,607
2008 – – 104 #1,545
2007 – – 113 #1,434
2006 – – 105 #1,461
2005 5 #17,082 106 #1,403
2004 – – 88 #1,519
2003 – – 68 #1,768
2002 – – 55 #2,003
2001 – – 74 #1,603
2000 – – 80 #1,504
1995 – – 52 #1,712
1990 – – 40 #1,909
1985 – – 32 #1,841
1980 – – 38 #1,576
1975 – – 37 #1,459
1970 – – 21 #1,948
1965 – – 17 #1,936
1960 – – 23 #1,699
1955 – – 32 #1,346
1950 – – 19 #1,710
1945 – – 9 #2,429
1940 – – – –
1935 – – 5 #3,777
1930 – – 7 #3,360
1925 – – – –
1920 – – 5 #4,445
1915 – – 16 #1,806
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Cy

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Cy Young Cy Young American baseball player (1867–1955) 19th century
  2. 2 Cy Twombly Cy Twombly American painter, sculptor and photographer (1928–2011) Contemporary
  3. 3 Cy Young Cy Young American javelin thrower 1928–2017 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Cy, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Cy?

The median living Cy is about 21 years old. Half of all living Cys are between 13 and 39 years old.

How many people named Cy are alive today?

An estimated 3,500 people named Cy are alive in the United States, based on 3,921 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Cy mean?

A diminutive of the male given name Cyril.

How popular is the name Cy in 2025?

Cy ranked #2,540 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 52 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Cy?

3,921 babies have been named Cy in the United States since 1902, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Cy most popular?

Cy peaked in 2010, when 117 newborns received the name.

Is Cy a boy or girl name?

Cy is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Cy rising or falling?

Cy has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Cy become more popular?

Cy looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 49 boys named Cy in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Cy?

Well-known people named Cy include Cy Young (baseball player), Cy Twombly (painter), Cy Young (athlete).

Names like Cy

Names that sound and feel close to Cy: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Cy with similar names → More names starting with C →