Cyrus is the Greek form of the Old Persian Kurush, a royal name of uncertain meaning that is usually explained as "sun" or, after the Greek kyrios, as "lord". Cyrus the Great founded the Persian Empire in the sixth century BC and is praised in the Bible for freeing the Jews from Babylon; in America the name belongs to inventor Cyrus McCormick and the Miley Cyrus family. Cyrus rose from number 541 in 2000 and number 469 in 2015 to a peak of number 253 in 2024 and ranks number 268 among boys' names in 2025.