# Cecilia (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/cecilia/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “blind” |
| Pronunciation | /sɪˈsiːli.ə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Sissy, CeeCee, Cece, Cecy |
| Variant spellings | Cecily, Cicely, Cecelia |
| US babies named this | 111,688 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 177 / 111,511 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 2,456, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Latin Caecilia, feminine form of Caecilius, a Roman family name possibly derived from the byname caecus (“blind”). Popularized by Saint Cecilia, third century Roman martyr, the patron saint of music. Doublet of Sheila.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,317 | 242 |
| 2012 | 1,463 | 215 |
| 2013 | 1,434 | 224 |
| 2014 | 1,640 | 206 |
| 2015 | 1,782 | 181 |
| 2016 | 1,827 | 177 |
| 2017 | 1,815 | 168 |
| 2018 | 1,809 | 155 |
| 2019 | 1,861 | 153 |
| 2020 | 1,860 | 147 |
| 2021 | 2,095 | 133 |
| 2022 | 2,006 | 145 |
| 2023 | 2,058 | 137 |
| 2024 | 2,248 | 123 |
| 2025 | 2,506 | 108 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 6 | 5,625 |
| 1981 | 7 | 5,024 |
| 1982 | 7 | 5,098 |
| 1983 | 9 | 4,183 |
| 1984 | 10 | 3,961 |
| 1985 | 6 | 5,902 |
| 1986 | 7 | 5,421 |
| 1987 | 12 | 3,757 |
| 1989 | 10 | 4,864 |
| 1990 | 6 | 7,309 |
| 1991 | 8 | 6,031 |
| 1992 | 10 | 5,287 |
| 1993 | 7 | 6,928 |
| 1998 | 7 | 7,689 |
| 2004 | 5 | 11,649 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 65 | 615 |
| 2012 | 78 | 542 |
| 2013 | 76 | 547 |
| 2014 | 76 | 558 |
| 2015 | 88 | 492 |
| 2016 | 101 | 437 |
| 2017 | 71 | 593 |
| 2018 | 95 | 455 |
| 2019 | 92 | 458 |
| 2020 | 104 | 408 |
| 2021 | 155 | 303 |
| 2022 | 140 | 313 |
| 2023 | 184 | 245 |
| 2024 | 224 | 216 |
| 2025 | 282 | 172 |

## In other languages

- Bulgarian: Сеси́лия, Цеци́лия, Чечи́лия
- Catalan: Cecília
- Chinese: 塞西莉亞 /塞西莉亚, 則濟利亞 /则济利亚
- Czech: Cecílie
- Danish: Cecilie
- Esperanto: Cecilia
- Estonian: Silja
- Finnish: Silja
- French: Cécile
- German: Cäcilie
- Greek: Καικιλία
- Hungarian: Cecília
- Irish: Síle, Sisile
- Italian: Cecilia
- Latin: Caecilia
- Norwegian: Cecilie
- Polish: Cecylia
- Portuguese: Cecília
- Russian: Сеси́лия, Цеци́лия
- Scottish Gaelic: Sìle, Sìleas

## People named Cecilia

- Cecilia Helena Payne Gaposchkin, British-born American astronomer
- Cecilia Roth, Argentine actress
- Cecilia Beaux, American artist (1855-1942)
- Cecilia Cheung, Chinese actress and singer
- Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (1862-1938); mother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Moth
- Cecilia Rouse, American economist
- Cecilia Colledge, British figure skater
- Cecília Meireles, Brazilian writer (1901–1964)
- Cécilia Attias, former wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy
- Cecilia Grierson, Argentine physician (1859-1934)
- Cécilia Berder, French fencer
- María Cecilia Rognoni, field hockey player

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.