Cynthia
Encyclopedia
Cynthia is a feminine given name
of Greek
origin: Κυνθία, Kynthía, "from Mount Cynthus
" on Delos
island. It can be abbreviated as Cindy. There are various spellings for this name.
Cynthia was originally an epithet
of the Greek goddess of the moon, Artemis
, who was sometimes called "Cynthia" because, according to legend, the goddess was born on Mount Cynthus
.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
origin: Κυνθία, Kynthía, "from Mount Cynthus
Cynthus
Mount Cynthus is located on the isle of Delos, part of the Greek Cyclades.In Greek mythology, Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis on this island, having been shunned by Zeus' wife Hera who was extremely jealous of his liaison with Leto...
" on Delos
Delos
The island of Delos , isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece...
island. It can be abbreviated as Cindy. There are various spellings for this name.
Cynthia was originally an epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
of the Greek goddess of the moon, Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
, who was sometimes called "Cynthia" because, according to legend, the goddess was born on Mount Cynthus
Cynthus
Mount Cynthus is located on the isle of Delos, part of the Greek Cyclades.In Greek mythology, Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis on this island, having been shunned by Zeus' wife Hera who was extremely jealous of his liaison with Leto...
.
People with the given name Cynthia (or a variant thereof)
- Cynthia or Cindy BremserCindy BremserCynthia Mae Bremser is a retired middle distance runner from the United States. She finished fourth in the 3,000 metres at the 1984 Summer Olympics. She won the silver medal in the 1,500 metres at the 1983 Pan American games....
(born 1953), American runner - Cintia DickerCintia DickerCintia Dicker is a Brazilian model of German descent.She was born in Campo Bom, Rio Grande do Sul. She has appeared in advertisements for Ann Taylor, Macy's, L’Oréal, American Eagle Outfitters, and Yves Saint Laurent, and in catalogs for Victoria's Secret, Gap, bebe stores, and Lands' End...
(born 1986), Brazilian model - Cynthia DobrinskiCynthia DobrinskiCynthia Dobrinski is a composer and arranger of handbell music.She currently has more than 175 works in print. She also works as an instructor and has conducted about 350 handbell workshops and festivals internationally....
(born 1950), handbell composer - Cynthia GibbCynthia GibbCynthia Gibb is an American actress and former model who has starred in film and on television. She is 5'-2" tall.-Biography:...
(born 1963), American actress - Cynthia GlassmanCynthia GlassmanDr. Cynthia Aaron Glassman of Alexandria, Virginia was a commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs....
, American economist - Cynthia GregoryCynthia GregoryCynthia Kathleen Gregory is an American ballerina.-Career:Born in Los Angeles, Gregory’s parents encouraged her to take up dancing when she was five, hoping exercise would stem a history of childhood illnesses. By age six, she was en pointe...
(born 1946), American ballerina - Cynthia or Cindy GreinerCindy GreinerCynthia Greiner is a retired female heptathlete and long jumper from the United States, who won the gold medal at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis, United States. She is a two-time U.S. champion...
(born 1957), American heptathlete and long jumper - Cynthia HerrupCynthia HerrupCynthia Herrup is an American historian of early modern British law who holds the position of Professor of History and Law at the University of Southern California....
, American law historian - Cynthia Tse KimberlinCynthia Tse KimberlinCynthia Tse Kimberlin is an American ethnomusicologist. She is the Executive Director and Publisher of the Music Research Institute and MRI Press, based in Point Richmond, California...
, American ethnomusicologist - Cynthia LennonCynthia LennonCynthia Lillian Lennon is the former wife of musician John Lennon, and mother of Julian Lennon. She grew up in the middle-class section of Hoylake, on the Wirral Peninsula in North West England. At the age of twelve, she was accepted into the Junior Art School, and was later enrolled in the...
(born 1939), first wife of musician John Lennon - Cynthia McKinneyCynthia McKinneyCynthia Ann McKinney is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President of the United States...
(born 1955), American politician - Cynthia, Christian name of Saori Minami (born 1954), Japanese singer
- Cynthia NilsonCynthia NilsonCynthia Nilson was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina during the 1970's. She began singing professionally with her father Carlos Nilson in various songs for Argentinian television shows like Ritmo De La Noche with Marcelo Tinelli, Verano del 98 and Jugate Conmigo with Cris Morena.In the 1990's she...
, Argentinian singer and songwriter - Cynthia NixonCynthia NixonCynthia Ellen Nixon is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Miranda Hobbes in the HBO series Sex and the City . She has received two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award....
(born 1966), American actress - Cynthia OlavarríaCynthia OlavarríaCynthia Enid Olavarría Rivera is a Puerto Rican actress, television host, fashion model, and former Miss Puerto Rico who competed in the Miss Universe 2005 beauty pageant.-Early years:...
(born 1982), Puerto Rican model - Cynthia Ortega (born 1956), Dutch politician
- Cynthia OzickCynthia OzickCynthia Ozick is an American short story writer, novelist, and essayist. She is the niece of the Hebraist Abraham Regelson.-Background:Cynthia Shoshana Ozick was born in New York City, the second of two children...
(born 1928), American writer - Cynthia RichardsCynthia RichardsCynthia Richards is a Jamaican singer whose career began in the 1960s.-Biography:Born in Disney Land, Kingston, Jamaica, in 1944, Richards attended the Denham Town Primary School where after impressing teachers with a performance at an end-of-term concert she was encouraged to appear on the Vere...
(born 1944), Jamaican singer - Cynthia Deyanira Rodríguez RuizCynthia Deyanira Rodríguez RuizCynthia Deyanira Rodríguez Ruiz is a Mexican singer and reality television personalityShe was a contestant on the reality TV show La Academia, coming in fourth place. Rodríguez later competed on the reality show Desafio de Estrellas. She was voted off the show right before the finals, with only...
(born 1984), Mexican reality TV personality - Cynthia RothrockCynthia RothrockCynthia Rothrock is an American martial artist and actress specializing in martial arts films. -Martial arts achievements:Rothrock is five-time World Karate Champion in forms and weapons between 1981 and 1985...
(born 1957), American martial artist and actress - Cynthia RowleyCynthia RowleyCynthia Rowley is an American fashion designer. The fashion label she created in the early 1980s bears her name.-Background:...
, American fashion designer - Cynthia RyderCynthia RyderCynthia L. "Cindi" Ryder is an American Olympic athlete who won the gold medal in women's single sculls rowing event at the 1991 Pan American Games and participated in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.-References:*...
(born 1966), American rower - Cynthia ValdezCynthia ValdezCynthia Yazmín Valdez Pérez is an individual Mexican rhythmic gymnast born in Guadalajara who has won 10 Pan American Games medals—two gold, four silver and four bronze medals.- Career :...
(born 1987), Mexican rhythmic gymnast - Cynthia WatrosCynthia WatrosCynthia Michele Watros is an American television actress, who also starred in films and on stage. She is known for her roles as Libby on the ABC TV series Lost, Kellie in The Drew Carey Show, Erin in Titus, and Annie Dutton in Guiding Light...
(born 1968), American actress - Cynthia WeilCynthia WeilCynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann....
(born 1940), American songwriter - Cynthia Wesley (born 1949), a victim of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing16th Street Baptist Church bombingThe 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed on Sunday, September 15, 1963. The explosion at the African-American church, which killed four girls, marked a turning point in the U.S...
Fictional characters
- Cynthia (Pokémon), champion of the Sinnoh region in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
- Cynthia Brisby, young mouse in the 1982 film The Secret of NIMHThe Secret of NIMHThe Secret of NIMH is a 1982 animated film directed by Don Bluth in his directorial debut. It is an adaptation of Robert C. O'Brien's 1971 children's novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film was produced by Aurora Pictures and released by United Artists. While released to critical acclaim,...
- Cynthia Murdoch, character in Agatha Christie's 1916 mystery novel The Mysterious Affair at StylesThe Mysterious Affair at StylesThe Mysterious Affair at Styles is a detective novel by Agatha Christie. It was written in 1916 and was first published by John Lane in the United States in October 1920 and in the United Kingdom by The Bodley Head on January 21, 1921. The U.S...
- Cynthia Brandon, younger mortal sister of Alice Cullen, a vampire in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series
- Cynthia, Angelica's doll on the cartoon RugratsRugratsRugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....
- Synthia Schmidt, aka Sin (Marvel Comics), comic book supervillianess