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Syrus

Masculine · “sun”

1982high 2022
#1808 in the U.S.holding its place on the charts
stable88 boys in 2025

Syrus respells Cyrus, and the Persian behind it may mean the sun, or a young man, or nothing recoverable — the king who founded the empire has a name nobody can settle.

How old is the name Syrus?

Syrus first appears in US birth records in 1982 — 43 years ago. The typical Syrus is a kid of about 11 — this name's wave is very recent. About 2,100 people named Syrus are estimated to be alive in the US today.

When was the name Syrus most popular?

Syrus peaked in 2023, reaching #1473 nationally. Today it ranks #1808, 335 places below that high. See the whole 2023 chart.

I

Where it comes from

The story of Syrus

Cyrus the Great founded the Achaemenid empire from 550 BC, took Babylon, and allowed the exiled Jews to return — which is why Isaiah calls him the Lord's anointed, the only non-Jew given the title. The Cyrus Cylinder records his policy. The Syrus spelling appears in American records in current use.

Meaningscholars disagree

sun; young

Through Cyrus, from the Old Persian Kurush, of genuinely unrecovered meaning. Proposals include 'sun', 'young' and 'humiliator of the enemy' — the last offered by Cyrus himself in an inscription, which does not settle it. Nothing is established. The Greek Syros is a separate island name.

How the name formed

  1. Kurush
  2. Cyrus
  3. Syrus

Related forms: Cyrus · Kourosh · Kyros

Pronouncing Syrus

SY-rus

Two syllables, stress on the first. Syrus and Cyrus are said identically; Persian Kourosh is koo-ROSH.

Nicknames for Syrus

Moderate

SyThe front sound alone, and a short form with a real American record
RusThe back of the name, and a short form with its own record
II

What the data says

The long climb, and where it stands now

BOYS NAMED · 1982–20251226101228819822025

US babies named Syrus per year from 1982 to 2025
AVERAGE RANK BY DECADE#1#10#100#1000#14731980s2020s

The same years in position rather than babies

First recorded
1982
Most boys named
2022122 — the highest on record
Peak rank
#1473reached in 2023
Change vs 2024
−10.2%88 in 2025, from 98
Syrus is holding steady. Its biggest year was 2022 (122 boys), and the last five years have moved the rank very little — the calm middle of the cycle, where names age slowly. The move since 2024: down 10.2%.

Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.

Syrus in other languages

The same name elsewhere

  • Cyrus in English — spelling variant
  • Kourosh in Persian — related form
  • Kyros in Greek — related form

Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida.

Syruss among us

2,100

people named Syrus are estimated to be alive in the US today

About 1 boy in 19,410 born in 2025 was named Syrus

Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method

Spellings of Syrus

#1808
Syrus on the 2025 chart
#253
counting every spelling

The SSA counts spellings, not names. Syrus went to 88 boys in 2025, but Cyrus and Sirus are the same name said out loud. Together the 3 spellings went to 1,390, which makes it the 253rd most-given boys’ name of the year — 1,555 places above the chart.

About 1 boy in 1,229 born in 2025 was given one of these spellings — against 1 in 19,410 for Syrus itself.

Spellings are grouped by a fixed rule that folds interchangeable English spellings of one sound (ck/k, ph/f, x/ks, a non-initial y for i) and keeps vowels apart, so Sean and Shawn stay separate names. It errs towards splitting: a family here is never larger than the truth. SSA national data, 2025. Method

III

Is it right for you

The Joby test

Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Syrus's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Joby climbed just as high around 1972, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Joby's path sketches the road Syrus is walking now.

40%chance Syrus will feel “very 2020s” by 2040
Syrus, aligned on its peakJoby· peak 1972not yet written
#1#10#100#1000peak-40 yrs+50 yrsJoby · #9024Syrus today
Syrus today is about where Joby stood in 1974 — 2 years past a #1473-sized peak. By 1989, Joby had settled around #2927.
Ages quietlysteadyDates fast

Syrus sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.

A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored

Where Syrus is headed

19822030

US babies named Syrus per year, 1982 to 2025, with a projection to 2030

Syrus should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.

Steady+5% by 2030projected around #1,831 in 2030

Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.

A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.

Syrus beside its neighbors

The names ranked closest to Syrus in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.

Syrusthis name88#1808Gentry88#1808Avrohom88#1808Alakai88#1808Callaway88#1808

US boys given each name in 2025.

The trade-off

Practical strengths
  • The founder of the first world empire carries it.
  • The Cyrus Cylinder is a genuinely remarkable document.
  • Sy is available as a short form with a real record.
What to consider
  • The meaning is genuinely unrecovered, and honest sources say so.
  • Cyrus is the standard spelling and will be assumed.
  • Syria and Syrus are close enough to be confused on paper.

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Syrus

Masculine · #1808 in the U.S.

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Frequently asked

How many Syruss are there in the world?
No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,100 people named Syrus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
How do you spell Syrus?
Syrus is one of 3 recorded spellings. Cyrus is the more common one — 1,284 births in 2025 against 88 for Syrus.
How popular is the name Syrus in 2025?
Syrus ranks #1808 among US boy names in 2025, with 88 babies given the name.
How rare is the name Syrus?
About 1 in every 19,410 US boys born in 2025 was named Syrus — 88 in all.
Will my child share the name Syrus with classmates?
Syrus will almost certainly be the only one in school.

Ranked beside Syrus

Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.

Gentry#1808 · Avrohom#1808 · Alakai#1808 · Callaway#1808 · Arsiah#1808 · Honor#1808 · Tyree#1808 · Tamir#1808

Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Syrus? See the current top 100.

Choosing between Syrus and another name?

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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.

US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology

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