Cy is the short form of Cyrus, the name of the Persian king who founded an empire; it comes from the Old Persian Kurush, of uncertain meaning, usually explained as "sun" or "like the sun". Pitcher Cy Young, after whom baseball's top pitching award is named, gave the nickname a thoroughly American ring. Cy ranked number 1504 in 2000, peaked at number 1403 in 2005 and stands at number 2540 in 2025.