Given name & surname · also Latin
Cecil
“one who is blind”·“the sixth-born child”
Cecil is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “one who is blind” and “the sixth-born child”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Original LatinCaecilius
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “one who is blind” and “the sixth-born child”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Welsh and Latin naming traditions.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Cecil through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 114,676
- 106,989 boys · 7,687 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 2,672 babies
- 2025
- 119
- #1,486 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +15%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 100% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 119 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,486 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.8% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,459 in 1920. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 37,487 as a first name in 2020; 11,545 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cecil’s family of names
Cecil has a feminine form in Cecilia. In English usage, Cecil has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Cecilio. Cecil has a related form in Cecilio.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Cecil has relatives in 10 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
Latinwhere Cecil comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 12
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Caeciliusroot · Latin
- Ceciliafeminine form · English
- Cecileequivalent
- Cecilaequivalent
- Ceciliequivalent
- СесильRussian
- СесилRussian
- CecyliuszPolish
Show 4 moreShow fewer
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Cecil
- Cecil RhodesBritish businessman, mining magnate and politician in South Africa (1853-1902)
- C. F. PowellBritish physicist1903–1969
- Cecil B. DeMilleAmerican film director, producer and actor (1881–1959)
- Tony RichardsonEnglish theatre and film director and producer (1928-1991)
- C. S. ForesterBritish novelist, "Hornblower" author (1899–1966)
- Cecil BeatonBritish photographer, designer, socialite, writer (1904–1980)
- Cecil Day-LewisIrish-born British poet (1904–1972)
- Cecil TaylorAmerican jazz pianist and poet (1929–2018)
- Cecil KellawaySouth African actor (1890–1973)
Characters named Cecil: Cecil Terwilliger (The Simpsons character).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Cecil, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Emil
“one who is eager; an industrious man”
>99% boys
Virgil
“the staff-bearer”
>99% boys
Vito
“one who gives life”
>99% boys
Harvey
“one who is ready for battle” · “a strong man”
98% boys · 2% girls
Arlen
“a solemn, binding promise”
80% boys · 20% girls
Emile
“one who is eager; an industrious man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Wilmer
“a strong-willed and wellknown man”
>99% boys
Warner
“of the defending army”
98% boys · 2% girls