Cecilia
Cecilia was the 108th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,506 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 73 places. More babies were named Cecilia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning from the Caecilius family (perhaps 'blind') · Latin
Say it sih-SEEL-yuh /sɪˈsiljə/
- Rank in 2025
- #108 girls, up 39 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,506girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20252,506 babies
- Total since 1880
- 111,688babies recorded
What does the name Cecilia mean?
Cecilia comes from Latin Caecilia, the feminine of Caecilius, a Roman family name that DMNES and Wiktionary say may derive from caecus, 'blind'. Saint Cecilia, a Roman martyr, became the patron saint of music and is one of the women named in the Canon of the Mass, which DMNES says made the name very popular in medieval Europe. Medieval English pet forms included Cis and Cissot, and Wiktionary notes that Irish Sheila comes from the same name.
Caecilia (Latin, “feminine of Caecilius”)caecus (Latin, “blind (possible root)”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'blind' root is offered as possible by both DMNES and Wiktionary.
Related names: Cecily, Cecile, Celia, Sheila, Cicely.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Cecilia', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cecilia', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Cecilia', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Cecilia
The usual nicknames for Cecilia are Cece, Celia and Cissy. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Cecilia in the last five years, 16 were named Celia, against 35 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cece · also for Celeste | Modern | — | — |
| Celia | Traditional | #774 | 1,747 |
| Cissy | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Cecilias go by each one.
Cecilia popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 177 since 1926.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #108 | 2,506 |
| 2020 | #147 | 1,860 |
| 2010 | #277 | 1,202 |
| 2000 | #283 | 1,137 |
| 1990 | #326 | 847 |
| 1980 | #361 | 654 |
| 1970 | #383 | 621 |
| 1960 | #283 | 1,036 |
| 1950 | #249 | 921 |
| 1940 | #252 | 629 |
| 1930 | #262 | 567 |
| 1920 | #238 | 757 |
| 1910 | #226 | 287 |
| 1900 | #199 | 249 |
| 1890 | #262 | 91 |
| 1880 | #233 | 44 |
How popular is Cecilia, counting every spelling?
Cecilia is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #102 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #108 for Cecilia on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,102 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cecilia | 2,506 | #108 | 10,913 |
| Cecelia | 569 | #529 | 2,863 |
| Sicilia | 27 | #4,971 | 97 |
| Cecillia | — | — | 36 |
| Secilia | — | — | 26 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cecilia?
2,506 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cecilia (0.69 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Cecilia born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cecilia.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cecilia?
About 83,000 people born in the US named Cecilia are alive today, with a median age of 27; half are between 11 and 56. That makes Cecilia mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cecilia by state
How common Cecilia was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Delaware (3.2×), Rhode Island (3.1×), District of Columbia (3.0×), Massachusetts (2.9×), Connecticut (2.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, Arkansas, Hawaii.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cecilia: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cecilia, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Cecilia · Sibling names for Cecilia
Questions about the name Cecilia
What does Cecilia mean?
Cecilia means “from the Caecilius family (perhaps 'blind')” (Latin origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Cecilia?
Cecilia was the 108th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,506 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 73 places. More babies were named Cecilia in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Cecilia a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Cecilia in the US.
Where is Cecilia most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cecilia was most common in Delaware (4.32 per 1,000 girls), followed by Rhode Island and District of Columbia.