Given name & surname
Celia
“heaven”
Celia has Roman roots and a Shakespearean history, although its link with the word for “heaven” remains uncertain.
Original LatinCaelia
Meaning & origin
What it means
Celia probably goes back to a word meaning “heaven.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
In Italian usage, Celia developed from CAELIA. In Italian usage, Celia is a feminine form of CAELIUS.
The story
Shakespeare introduced Celia to an English-speaking audience through As You Like It. Its earlier background is the Roman family-name tradition; its later treatment as a short form of Cecilia provides another naming context.
Celia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 56,716
- 74 boys · 56,642 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 853 babies
- 2025
- 351
- #774 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +9%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 351 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 774 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 8.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 853 in 1915. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (41). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 49,709 as a first name in 2020; 679 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.
Celia’s family of names
Celia has an affectionate form in Silke. In Italian usage, Celia developed from the Latin form CAELIA. Celia has a related form in Cecilia.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Celia has relatives in 11 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
Latinwhere Celia comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 14
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 3
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Celia
- Celia JohnsonEnglish actress (1908–1982)
- Celia ImrieBritish actressborn 1952
- Celia WestonAmerican actress (1951-)
- Celia SánchezCuban revolutionary (1920-1980)
- Celia AdlerAmerican television actor (1889-1979)
- Celia VillalobosSpanish politicianborn 1949
- Celia ReesEnglish authorborn 1949
- Celia FrancaBritish dancer, founder and artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada (1921-2007)
- Celia FreijeiroSpanish actressborn 1983
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Celia, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Beatrice
“one who blesses others”
>99% girls
Elvira
“a-truthful woman; one who can be trusted”
>99% girls
Leona
“having the strength of a lion” · “resembling a lion”
>99% girls
Alma
“one who is nurturing and kind” · “refers to the soul”
1% boys · 99% girls
Ofelia
“help” · “one who offers help to others”
>99% girls
Sylvia
“a woodland dweller”
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Marian
“a manly man”
1% boys · 99% girls
Frances
“woman from France; one who is free” · “a man from France; one who is free”
1% boys · 99% girls