Given name & surname

Cypher

Cypher is a surname from German.

Original GermanSeifer

Meaning & origin

Where it comes from

Cypher comes from German.

Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)

How it developed

In English usage, Cypher as a surname developed from SEIFER.

The story

Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 2011. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Cypher through the years

Babies since 1880
187
187 boys · 0 girls
Most popular year
2022
27 babies
2025
16
#5,656 for boys
2021–25 vs 2016–20
+92%
Rising fast
051015202025Highest share 20229.4
Cypher in U.S. Social Security birth records, 2011–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

In 2025, this name appeared in 16 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 5,656 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 92.5% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,360 as a surname in 2020.

From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.

Cypher’s family of names

In English usage, Cypher as a surname developed from the German form SEIFER. In English usage, Cypher as a surname has a related form in Sipher. In English usage, Cypher as a surname has a related form in Sipher.

Walk Cypher’s family in the name graph

CypherSipherSeifer

Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Nicknames & forms 1

Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.

Across languages 1

Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.

Similar names

If you love Cypher, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

Old French · Modern

Messer

“knife”

23RareRising fast

>99% boys

German · Modern

Heyden

Heyden is a surname from German.

22RareRising fast

>99% boys

Germanic · Modern

Ripp

“powerful” · “bright, famous”

32RareRising fast

>99% boys

German · Modern

Matheis

Matheis is a surname from German.

11Very rare

>99% boys

German · Modern

Beckman

Beckman is a surname from German.

0Not recently recorded

>99% boys

German · Modern

Kahlo

Kahlo is a surname from German.

11Very rareEasing

91% boys · 9% girls

German · Modern

Brix

Brix is a surname from German.

30RareRising

99% boys · 1% girls

Old High German · Modern

Schaefer

Schaefer is a surname from German, ultimately from Old High German.

11Very rare

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share Cypher’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Cypher

A sister for Cypher