Kyra is usually explained as the feminine of Cyrus, the Persian royal name meaning "sun" or "lord", or as a form of the Greek kyria, "lady". Actress Kyra Sedgwick has been its best-known American bearer since the 1990s. Kyra ranked number 202 in 2000, peaked at number 179 in 2005 and has gradually declined to number 830 in 2025.