Given name · also Germanic
Cedric
Cedric has an unusually traceable literary beginning: Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Welsh interpretation is “one who is kind and loved; of the spectacular bounty.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
The story
Walter Scott created Cedric of Rotherwood for Ivanhoe. He may have rearranged the letters of Cerdic, the name of the traditional founder of Wessex. Another literary bearer is Cedric Errol in Little Lord Fauntleroy.
Cedric through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 42,382
- 42,104 boys · 278 girls
- Most popular year
- 1982
- 987 babies
- 2025
- 209
- #1,051 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 209 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,051 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 977 in 1982. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (20). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 30,295 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cedric’s family of names
Cedric has a feminine form in Cedrica. Cedric has a related form in Cedrick. Cedric has a related form in Cedrik.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Cedric has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
12 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 24
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Zedrickequivalent
- Sedricequivalent
- Sedrickequivalent
- Cedricafeminine form
- Fedrickrelated form
- Cerdicequivalent
- Zedricequivalent
- Mccartydoublet · English
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Mccarthydoublet · English
- Cedroequivalent
- Cédrickequivalent
- Carthachequivalent
- Carataucequivalent
- Cédricalso known as · French
- Caradogdoublet · English
- Sedrikborrowing · Finnish
- Cédrikaderivative · French
- Cédrikequivalent
- Cradockdoublet · English
- Craddockdoublet · English
- Caratacusdoublet · English
- Caradocdoublet · English
- CedricoPortuguese
- सेड्रिकMarathi
People named Cedric
- Cedric the EntertainerAmerican actor and comedianborn 1964
- Cédric BakambuCongolese footballerborn 1991
- Cedric GibbonsAmerican art director (1890–1960)1893–1960
- Cedric HardwickeEnglish actor (1893-1964)
- Cedric IttenSwiss association football playerborn 1996
- Cedric MaxwellAmerican basketball player (born 1955)
- Cédric GogouaIvorian footballerborn 1994
- Cedric Bixler-ZavalaAmerican singerborn 1974
- Cedric AlexanderAmerican professional wrestlerborn 1989
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Cedric, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Erik
“ever the ruler”
>99% boys
Derval
“one's true desire; a poet's daughter”
91% boys · 9% girls
Heeney
“God is gracious”
—
Strahan
“a poet; a minstrel”
>99% boys
Feoras
“resembling a smooth rock”
>99% boys
Revelin
“from the renowned land”
>99% boys
Mctigue
“son of the poet”
—
Mctague
“son of the poet”
—