Explore the Family Name Cyril
The meaning of Cyril
West Indian, Indian, and African (mainly Nigeria): from the personal name Cyril, an English form of Greek Kyrillos, a pet form of Kyrios, a Christian adjective meaning ‘of the Lord’, derived from the Greek noun kyrios ‘lord’. This was the name of a number of early Christian saints, notably the theologians Cyril of Alexandria and Cyril of Jerusalem, and of the saint and missionary (826–69) who, together with his brother Methodios, brought Christianity to the Slavs; the Cyrillic alphabet, which is still used today for writing Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Macedonian, Rusyn, and certain other languages, is named for him. Saint Cyril is therefore especially venerated as a saint among the Slavs; some of the principal forms of this name in Slavic languages are Russian Kiril, Ukrainian and Rusyn Kyryl(o), Polish Cyryl, Slovak Cyril, and Slovenian Ciril; see also Curylo, Kurilla, and Kurylo. The name is also established in southern Italy (see Cirillo) and in Spain (see Cirilo).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Cyril in the United States?
According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Cyril' has notably increased in the United States between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, it ranked 77,222nd, but by 2010, it had jumped to rank 54,418th, marking a significant popularity change of 29.53%. The actual count of people bearing this surname also rose from 231 in 2000 to 379 in 2010, a growth rate of 64.07%. Consequently, the proportion of individuals named Cyril per 100,000 people also increased from 0.09 to 0.13, reflecting an increase of 44.44%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #77,222 | #54,418 | 29.53% |
| Count | 231 | 379 | 64.07% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.09 | 0.13 | 44.44% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cyril
On the matter of ethnicity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that there was a noticeable shift in the ethnic identity distribution among those with the surname 'Cyril' from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders named Cyril more than doubled, from 16.88% to 31.40%, an increase of 86.02%. The proportion of individuals of two or more ethnicities decreased sharply by 81.60%, from 22.94% to 4.22%. There was a slight decrease in the percentage of white individuals from 13.42% to 10.82%. The surname saw its first appearance among Hispanics and American Indian and Alaskan Natives in 2010, with proportions of 3.17% and 1.85% respectively. Meanwhile, the representation of Black individuals with the surname Cyril increased slightly from 43.29% to 48.55%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 43.29% | 48.55% | 12.15% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 16.88% | 31.4% | 86.02% |
| White | 13.42% | 10.82% | -19.37% |
| Two or More Races | 22.94% | 4.22% | -81.6% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 3.17% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 1.85% | 0% |