UK boy's name
Cy
A short form of the name Cyrus, meaning sun or supreme.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Cy is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Cy popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5119, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2000, with 10 births.
This profile covers 101 England and Wales registrations across 18 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 30% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 100 living people in the UK are called Cy. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Cy ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2000, when 10 boys were registered as Cy.
- • About 100 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cy as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5119
2024
Births in 2024
3
Latest year
Peak year
2000
10 births
Estimated living
100
2026
Meaning
What does Cy mean?
The name Cy is a shortened form of the name Cyrus, which has its origins in the Persian language and culture. The name Cyrus is derived from the ancient Persian word "kūrush," which means "throne" or "sun." This name was borne by several Persian kings, the most famous being Cyrus the Great, who ruled the Persian Empire from 559 to 530 BC.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cyrus can be found in the biblical book of Ezra, where Cyrus the Great is mentioned as the Persian king who allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple after their Babylonian captivity. This event is also recorded in the Cyrus Cylinder, an ancient clay cylinder that is considered one of the earliest known declarations of human rights.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Cy or its longer form, Cyrus. One of the earliest examples is Cyrus the Younger, a Persian prince who lived in the 5th century BC and attempted to overthrow his brother Artaxerxes II for the Persian throne. Another famous bearer of the name was Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, who ruled from 559 to 530 BC and is renowned for his military conquests and his policies of religious tolerance.
In more recent times, the name Cy has been used as a shortened form of Cyrus. One of the most famous bearers of this name was Cy Young (1867-1955), an American baseball player who is considered one of the greatest pitchers of all time. The Cy Young Award, given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, is named after him.
Another notable figure with the name Cy was Cy Twombly (1928-2011), an American painter and sculptor who was a leading figure in the abstract expressionist movement. Cy DeCosse (1936-1975) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for several teams in the National Hockey League during the 1960s.
Additionally, Cy Endfield (1914-1995) was a American screenwriter and film director known for his socially conscious films such as "Try and Get Me!" and "Zulu." Cy Caldwell (1833-1923) was an American poet and journalist who wrote several books of poetry and was a popular figure in the literary circles of her time.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Cy over time
The chart below shows babies named Cy registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Cy, the clearest high point is 2000. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2024, compared with 10 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cy by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cy was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #5119 | 3 | 1 |
| 2010s | #4652 | 9 | 3 |
| 2000s | #2440 | 63 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1915 | 26 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Cy
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
FAQ
Cy: questions and answers
How popular is the name Cy in the UK right now?
In 2024, Cy was ranked #5119 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Cy most popular?
The peak year on record was 2000, with 10 babies registered as Cy in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Cy?
A short form of the name Cyrus, meaning sun or supreme.
How many people are called Cy in the UK?
A total of 101 babies have been registered as Cy across the 18 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.