Cindy is a popular given name of American origin. It is often considered to be a diminutive form of the name Cynthia, which has Greek origins and means "woman from Kythira" or "from the place called Kythira." Kythira is an island located in Greece.
The name Cindy gained popularity during the mid-20th century, particularly in English-speaking countries. It was often used as a nickname for girls named Cynthia but eventually became popular enough to be given as a full name itself.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Cindy or Cynthia, which has helped contribute to its popularity over time. For example, Cynthia Lennon was the first wife of John Lennon from The Beatles, and Cynthia "Cindy" McCain is an American businesswoman and philanthropist who is married to U.S. Senator John McCain.
Today, Cindy remains a popular choice for girls' names around the world, particularly in English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. While it may have started out as a nickname or diminutive form of Cynthia, Cindy has established itself as a unique and charming name in its own right.
The name Cindy, despite its initial popularity with several years of consistent birth counts ranging from 5 to 14 between 1920 and 1937, experienced a significant surge in usage starting from 1946. The number of births jumped dramatically from 677 in 1946 to over 11,000 by 1957, peaking at 20,271 that year. However, the name's popularity began to decline thereafter, with birth counts gradually decreasing over time until it reached a low of 102 births in 2022. Overall, Cindy has been given to a total of 257,067 babies from 1886 to 2023.