MEANING & HISTORY
What does Lyra mean?
Lyra comes through Latin from Greek lyra, a word for the lyre, a stringed musical instrument. The same word names the constellation Lyra, so musical and astronomical associations share a documented linguistic connection.
The Cebuano entry records borrowing through English, while the older root is Greek. Neither connection establishes a literal meaning such as heavenly music: that is an imaginative combination of associations, rather than the source word's translation.
References for this explanation
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
CebuanoEtymology & source
From English Lyra, from Latin Lyra/lyra, from Ancient Greek λύρα (lúra, “a lyre; the constellation Lyra”).
a female given name from Ancient Greek
EnglishEtymology & source
Borrowed from Latin Lyra/lyra, from Ancient Greek λύρα (lúra, “a lyre; the constellation Lyra”). Doublet of lira, lyra, and lyre.
A female given name from Ancient Greek.
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Lyra in the birth records
Exact spelling and stated year in the published name tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Tables included: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The 2016 fact sheet lists five names per sex; the later tables include ten. Missing counts are not inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Similar names to Lyra
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Myra·Literary name created by Fulke Greville
- Lydia♀Woman from Lydia
- Lyn♂♀Short form of Lynn or names ending in lyn
- Lyndon♂Linden-tree hill
- Lynette♀Arthurian literary form; also a familiar form of Lynn
- Lynnette·Variant of the literary name Lynette
What rhymes with Lyra?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
Names with a similar written ending
Spelling suggestions; these are not verified phonetic rhymes.
Explore Lyra further
Follow the sources
- Wiktionary contributors — Lyra (Cebuano) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.
- Wiktionary contributors — Lyra (English) (opens in a new tab)
Language-specific given-name etymology; shared spelling does not prove every bearer has this origin.