Lucile
Lucile was the 5051st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 26 babies. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked 115th; the most babies were born in 1917 (1,516). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,156 places. More babies were named Lucile in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Lucille) light (via French Lucille, Latin Lucilla) · Latin, French
- Rank in 2025
- #5,051 girls, up 537 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 26girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19171,516 babies
- Total since 1880
- 34,983babies recorded
What does the name Lucile mean?
Lucile is a spelling of Lucille, pronounced the same way, so it shares Lucille's meaning and origin.
Lucille is the French form of Latin Lucilla, a diminutive of the Roman name Lucia (Lucy). Lucia is traditionally linked with Latin lux, "light"; DMNES glosses Lucy in the same way. Yonge's 1884 index also lists Lucilla with the gloss "light". Lucille was a fashionable name in the US in the early 20th century, which Wiktionary notes, and has recently returned.
Lucilla (Latin, “diminutive of Lucia”)lux (Latin, “light”)
How sure is this? Probable. The light connection is the standard explanation of Lucia; Lucilla is a diminutive of it.
Related names: Lucile, Lucy, Lucia, Lucilla.
See also: Latin names, names that mean light.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Lucille', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Lucy', DMNES, Durham University
- Charlotte M. Yonge, History of Christian Names, new ed. (1884), index s.v. 'Lucilla' (19th-century work; used for dated usage facts only), Macmillan (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Lucile popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 96 since 1908.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,051 | 26 |
| 2020 | #5,588 | 22 |
| 2010 | #6,093 | 22 |
| 2000 | #5,420 | 21 |
| 1990 | #12,274 | 6 |
| 1980 | #9,796 | 6 |
| 1970 | #4,391 | 13 |
| 1960 | #1,873 | 37 |
| 1950 | #954 | 89 |
| 1940 | #533 | 165 |
| 1930 | #302 | 487 |
| 1920 | #166 | 1,358 |
| 1910 | #118 | 698 |
| 1900 | #147 | 395 |
| 1890 | #196 | 149 |
| 1880 | #248 | 40 |
How popular is Lucile, counting every spelling?
Lucile is a spelling of Lucille, a name family that ranked #257 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #5,051 for Lucile on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,340 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucille | 1,314 | #239 | 5,854 |
| Lucile | 26 | #5,051 | 160 |
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 Lucile?
26 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Lucile (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Lucile 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 323 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Lucile.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Lucile?
About 3,100 people born in the US named Lucile are alive today, with a median age of 74; half are between 31 and 85. That makes Lucile a name most people associate with older generations. 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.
Lucile by state
How common Lucile was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 48 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Lucile: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Lucile, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Lucile
What does Lucile mean?
Lucile is a spelling of Lucille, which means “light (via French Lucille, Latin Lucilla)” (Latin, French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Lucile?
Lucile was the 5051st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 26 babies. Its best year was 1908, when it ranked 115th; the most babies were born in 1917 (1,516). Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,156 places. More babies were named Lucile in the 1910s than in any other decade.
Is Lucile a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Lucile in the US.
Where is Lucile most popular?
In 2021–2025, Lucile was most common in Washington (0.06 per 1,000 girls), followed by Texas and California.