Given name & surname
Cecilia
“blind”
Cecilia is used as a given name and a surname. Cecilia is connected with Cecil.
Original LatinCaecilia
Meaning & origin
What it means
Cecilia possibly goes back to a word meaning “blind.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
How it developed
Cecilia is used as a feminine counterpart of Cecil.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cecilia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 111,688
- 177 boys · 111,511 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 2,506 babies
- 2025
- 2,506
- #108 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +19%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 2,506 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 108 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 19.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (250). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 109,389 as a first name in 2020; 318 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.
Cecilia’s family of names
In Swedish usage, Cecilia has an affectionate form in Lilly. In English usage, Cecilia shares an earlier linguistic root with Sheila. Cecilia has a related form in Celia.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Cecilia has relatives in 31 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
Latinwhere Cecilia comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 34
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Lillypet form · Swedish
- Ceceliavariant · English
- Celiavariant
- Cecilyvariant
- Cielvariant · Dutch
- Cecilevariant
- Cecediminutive · English
- Cicelyvariant · English
Show 26 moreShow fewer
- Celievariant
- Cecilievariant · Norwegian Nynorsk, Norwegian Bokmål
- Cecillialikely variant
- Cecydiminutive · English
- Silkediminutive · German
- Sissydiminutive · English
- Cissyvariant
- Cissievariant
- Cillavariant
- Celiciavariant
- Celevariant
- Ceilvariant
- Ceciavariant
- Cicilyvariant
- Ciciliavariant
- Cecillevariant
- Cecileevariant
- Ciliadiminutive · English
- Ceccilialikely variant
- Cielkevariant · Dutch
- Cieltjevariant · Dutch
- Cäciliavariant · German
- Ceeceediminutive · English
- Cissivariant
- Cissvariant
- Cilivariant
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 37
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Caeciliaroot · Latin
- Celineequivalent
- Celinaequivalent
- Cecilmasculine form · English
- Sheiladoublet · English
- Cecilaequivalent
- Siljavernacular form · Finnish, Faroese
- Sesiliaequivalent
Show 29 moreShow fewer
- CecyliaPolish
- SheelaghManx
- KialManx
- Célineequivalent
- Cecilijaequivalent
- Cicileequivalent
- СесилияRussian
- ЦецилияRussian, rsk
- CécileFrench
- Céciliacognate · French
- CäcilieGerman
- SíleIrish
- Caeciliusmasculine form · English
- CecíliaSlovak, Portuguese
- SìleasScottish Gaelic
- SìleScottish Gaelic
- Цеци́лияRussian, Bulgarian
- Сеси́лияRussian, Bulgarian
- CeselhaOccitan
- CelhaOccitan
- KickleManx
- SisileIrish
- KikiliaHawaiian
- ΚαικιλίαGreek
- IcíaGalician
- CecílieCzech
- Цеці́ліяrue
- Чечи́лияBulgarian
- AzilizBreton
People named Cecilia
- Cecilia Payne-GaposchkinBritish-born American astronomer1900–1979
- Nurbanu SultanValide Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 to 15831525–1583
- Cecilia BartoliItalian opera singer (born 1966)
- Cecilia RothArgentine actressborn 1956
- Cecilia MalmströmSwedish politicianborn 1968
- Fernán CaballeroSpanish women novelist (1796-1877)
- Cecilia Renata of AustriaQueen Consort of Poland (lived 1611-1644)
- Cecilia CheungChinese actress and singerborn 1980
- Cecilia BeauxAmerican artist (1855-1942)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Cecilia, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“light”
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In German use, Nathalie is a variant of Natalie. One Latin interpretation is “born on Christmas Day; refers to Christ's birthday.”
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Saint-Macary
Saint-Macary is a surname from Occitan, ultimately from Latin. It is used in French.
—
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“having a peaceful disposition”
>99% girls
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“of the olive tree; one who is peaceful” · “olive tree”
>99% girls