| Cynthia | Dorothy | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Moon goddess epithet | gift of God |
| Origin | greek | english |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | SIN-thee-ah | DOR-ə-thee |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 1957 (39,340) | 1924 (39,996) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 743 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Cynthia | Dorothy |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,855 | 3,984 |
| 2010s | 5,946 | 3,958 |
| 2000s | 15,172 | 2,717 |
| 1990s | 31,313 | 4,211 |
| 1980s | 41,666 | 7,143 |
| 1970s | 80,196 | 11,664 |
| 1960s | 196,597 | 33,011 |
| 1950s | 263,432 | 74,475 |
| 1940s | 58,061 | 132,257 |
| 1930s | 9,666 | 210,415 |
| 1920s | 3,661 | 368,875 |
| 1910s | 1,911 | 207,475 |
| 1900s | 694 | 39,112 |
| 1890s | 701 | 10,846 |
| 1880s | 582 | 2,088 |
Cynthia is from Greek Kynthia, an epithet of Artemis meaning 'from Mount Cynthus,' her birthplace on Delos. The moon association comes because Artemis (and Selene) were called Cynthia; it is cultural, not a literal 'moon' etymology.
English form of Dorothea, from Greek doron 'gift' + theos 'God', meaning 'gift of God'. Same elements as Theodore reversed.
Dorothy is more popular than Cynthia today: about 743 US babies were given the name Dorothy in 2025, compared with 0 named Cynthia.
Cynthia means Moon goddess epithet (greek origin), while Dorothy means gift of God (english origin).
In US records, Cynthia first appears in 0 and Dorothy in 1880, so Cynthia has the longer recorded history.