Okay, so I know it's a little weird to have a page on my site entitled 'My Name', but over the years I have gotten so many strange looks/comments/etc. about my first name (and full name) that I thought it might help if I put up some sort of description of how the name has been used in my family and some general meanings behind the first name for any other Cyrus' that may somehow stumble along this page.

If you're name is Cyrus and you have found this page, please sign-in in the guestbook and let me know if it has been in your family for long and if you have any funny stories regarding people's reactions to it. 

Cyrus- (Of the Sun)
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English
Biblical Pronounced: SIE-rus

From ????? (Kyros), the Greek form of the Persian name Kûrush, which may mean "far sighted" or may be related to the Persian word khur, "sun". The name is sometimes associated with Greek ?????? (kyrios) "lord". (www.behindthename.com)

Some of the most famous Cyrus' in history include:

Cyrus The Great, (ca. 576 or 590 BC — August 530 BC)
Founder of The First Persian Empire

Cyrus the Great (Old Persian: Kuruš, modern Persian: ????? ????????? ????), also known as Cyrus II of Persia and Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Persian Empire under the Achaemenid dynasty. As leader of the Persian people in Anshan, he conquered the Medes and unified the two separate Iranian kingdoms; as the king of Persia, he reigned over the new empire from 559 BC until his death. The empire expanded under his rule, eventually conquering most of Southwest Asia, much of Central Asia, and much of the Indian frontier to create the largest nation the world had yet seen. He is famous in the Old Testament for freeing the captive Jews and allowing them to return to Israel. (www.wikipedia.org) Although he was known to be a great conqueror, who at one point controlled one of the greatest Empires ever seen, he is best remembered for his unprecedented tolerance and magnanimous attitude towards those he defeated. (www.farsinet.com)

Cyrus is the first king whose name was suffixed with the word "Great", a titulary style adopted by his Achaemenid successors including Darius the Great, Xerxes the Great, et al. Beyond his civilization, Cyrus left a lasting legacy on religion, politics, as well as on Middle Eastern and Western civilization.

Cyrus Hall McCormick (February 15, 1809 - May 13, 1884)
Inventor of the Mechanical Reaper (1831)

Cyrus H. McCormick of Virginia was an Irish American farmer, inventor, businessman, marketer and newspaper editor. He became famous as the inventor of the mechanical reaper in 1831. He moved to Chicago, and was the founder, with his brothers Leander and William, of the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company which became part of International Harvester Corporation in 1902.

Numerous prizes and medals were awarded for his reaper, and he was elected a corresponding member of the French Academy of Sciences, "as having done more for the cause of agriculture than any other living man." The invention of the reaper made farming far more efficient, and resulted in a global shift of labor from farmlands to cities. (www.wikipedia.org) 

                               

The Severance Family Usage

So, I still haven't answered the question yet: "Why was I named Cyrus?" 

Well, in the Severance family the name first appeared about 13 generations ago when it first began being used as a middle name for some of the men in the family. Eventually it began to be used as a first name (first in 1796).

Today, I am the 7th successive generation of our line of descent in which a male has borne the forename of Cyrus. For the past two generations it has begun that the first born boy of the generation is named Cyrus, and this is something that I certainly hope to one day carry on and turn into a tradition. Especially since I am the only male of this generation!! 

Hopefully this clarifies the origination of the "Cyrus' name and its usage in my family!

 Cyrus VII