Given name & surname · also Gaelic
Cyril
“a master or lord”
Cyril is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “a master or lord.”
Original GreekΚύριλλος
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “a master or lord.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
In English usage, Cyril developed from Κύριλλος.
The story
The name’s historical associations include a large number of early saints, most notably the theologians Cyril of Alexandria and Cyril of Jerusalem.
Cyril through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 12,131
- 12,034 boys · 97 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 338 babies
- 2025
- 38
- #3,143 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 38 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,143 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,144 as a first name in 2020; 448 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.
Cyril’s family of names
In English usage, Cyril has a diminutive in Cy. Cyril shares a linguistic root with Kirill. In English usage, Cyril has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Cirilo.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Cyril has relatives in 33 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Cyril comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Cydiminutive · English
- Cirilovariant · Portuguese, Spanish
- Cyrillevariant · French
- Cyrillvariant · German
- Cyrdadiminutive · Czech
- Cyrillusvariant
- Cirillovariant · Italian, English
- Ciriliovariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Across languages 42
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Κύριλλοςroot · Greek, Ancient Greek
- Kirilldoublet · English
- Kyrillosequivalent
- Cyrillafeminine form
- KirilSerbo-Croatian
- Kyrilequivalent
- CyrielDutch
- Кирилоequivalent
Show 34 moreShow fewer
- Ќирилequivalent
- Կիւրեղequivalent
- Кірылequivalent
- Ⰽⱆⱃⰻⰾⰵequivalent
- كيرلسequivalent
- СирилRussian
- КириллRussian
- Ǩiurrâlcognate · sms
- 西里爾borrowing · Chinese, Mandarin
- CyrylPolish
- Kyrylocognate · English
- Kirilscognate · Latvian
- Кири́лоUkrainian
- CiriḍḍuSicilian
- КирилSerbo-Croatian, Macedonian
- Си́рилRussian
- Кири́ллRussian
- ChirilRomanian
- ĊirilluMaltese
- 시릴Korean
- 키릴Korean
- シリルJapanese
- キリルJapanese
- Kirilaizh
- CirillHungarian
- კირილეGeorgian
- CirilluCorsican
- 基里爾Mandarin
- Ки́рилBulgarian
- Кіры́лBelarusian
- ԿյուրեղArmenian
- سِيرِيلArabic
- كِيرِيلArabic
- كِيرُلُسArabic
See also 5
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Cyril
- Cyril RamaphosaPresident of South Africa since 2018born 1952
- Cyril N. HinshelwoodEnglish physical chemist (1897-1967)
- C. Northcote ParkinsonBritish naval historian (1909–1993)
- Cyril Genikimmigration agent (1857-1925)
- Cyril the PhilosopherChristian missionary to the Slavs (9th c.)827–869
- Cyril M. KornbluthAmerican science fiction author (1923-1958)
- Cyril ConnollyBritish author (1903–1974)
- C. L. R. JamesTrinidadian historian, journalist and Marxist (1901–1989)
- Cyriel DessersBelgian professional footballerborn 1994
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Cyril, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Isidore
“a gift of Isis”
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Alpha
Alpha is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “the firstborn child; the first letter of the Greek alphabet.”
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“from the northern valley”
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“the son of Henry”
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