Cynthia

Where the name comes from

• Greek, via Latin
  "of Cynthus": the Cynthian goddess, Artemis (Roman Diana), named for Mount Cynthus on Delos
  Greek Kynthia (Κυνθία), feminine of Kynthios "of Cynthus"; Latin Cynthia
  Attested origin. Yonge (1884) glossary: "Cynthia, f. Eng. Gr. of Cynthus". Lewis & Short: Cynthus is "a mountain of Delos, celebrated as the birthplace of Apollo and Diana", and Cynthia is "the Cynthian goddess" (Diana), as used by Horace and Ovid. Popular meaning: "moon" or "moon goddess". Cynthia became a poetic name for the moon through the goddess, but the name literally means "of Cynthus".

Cynthia across traditions

• Ancient Greek religion. Mount Cynthus on the island of Delos was celebrated as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. Apollo was called Cynthius and Artemis Cynthia, "the Cynthian" (Lewis & Short; Yonge treats the name under Greek mythology).
• Roman poetry. Latin poets used Cynthia for Diana (Horace, Ovid). Propertius named the first of his four books of elegies Cynthia after its heroine, his mistress, whose real name, according to the 2nd-century writer Apuleius, was Hostia. He met her about 2,054 years ago (Britannica).
• English literary usage. In English verse Cynthia is a poetic name for the moon.
• United States (SSA). 613,204 births in the SSA decade top-200 tables, 1950s–2010s. Peak decade: the 1950s, at #11 for girls (263,432 births). Top 100 from the 1950s through the 1980s. Sources: ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1950s.html through names2010s.html.

Who carried it

• Cynthia of Propertius (Hostia) (about 2,054 years ago (met by Propertius)): Heroine of the first book of Propertius's elegies, titled Cynthia. Her real name was Hostia, according to Apuleius (Britannica).

Forms in other languages

Cíntia

Cynthia in letter-number systems

Hebrew, Greek and other traditions gave every letter a number, and read meaning into the totals. These are the counts, computed; the readings are inside the Innerverse.