From Κῦρος (Kyros) the Greek form of the Persian name Kūrush which can mean “farsighted,” “young,” or according to ancient inscriptions found in several languages, ancient Greek historians Ctesias and Plutarch stated that Cyrus was named from the original Kuros, the Sun, a concept that has been interpreted to mean “like the Sun” (Khurvash) noting its relationship to the Persian noun for sun, khor, while using -vash as a suffix of similarity.

The name is sometimes associated with the Greek κύριος (kyrios) meaning “lord.” It was borne by several kings of Persia, including Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon. He is famous in the Old Testament for freeing the captive Jews and allowing them to return to Israel. Commonly known as Cyrus the Great, and also called Cyrus the Elder by the Greeks founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire.