🔥Cecilia
Cecilia Origin and Meaning
Cecilia is a lovely classic name deservedly enjoying a new turn in the sun. Always among the Top 500 girls' names in the US, Cecilia is now at its highest point ever.
Cecilia is a feminine form of Cecil, which was derived from a Roman clan name related to the Latin caecus, meaning "blind". While that may put some parents off, we say put that ancient meaning aside and focus on Cecilia's symbolic resonance in the contemporary world as a classy and classic name.
The martyred Saint Cecilia was designated the patron of musicians, either because she supposedly sang directly to God while the musicians played at her wedding, or because she sang to God as she was dying. The name was popularized in the Middle Ages as an homage to the Saint.
On TV, the Cecelia spelling variation was the name chosen for Pam and Jim's baby on The Office; in real life the name of the daughters of Vera Wang and Soledad O'Brien.
Cecilia is also a Dickens character name in Hard Times, and appears in the novels Atonement and The Virgin Suicides, and The Hunger Games series, as well as being the subject of a memorable Simon & Garfunkel song.
Cecilia, Celia and Cecily are all nameberry faves. Cecelia is an accepted spelling variation you may want to consider if you plan to shorten the name to Celia or Cece.
- Cecilia Rank in US Top 1000
- Cecilia Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
- Names Similar to Cecilia
- Famous People Named Cecilia
- Cecilia in Pop Culture
- International Variations of Cecilia
- Cecilia in Nameberry Blog Posts
- Cecilia in Nameberry Forums
Cecilia Rank in US Top 1000
Cecilia Rank in Nameberry Top 1000
Cecilia Popularity
- 137US2023
- 66Nameberry2025
- 169Canada2023
- 40Future2035
- 247England2023
- 451Germany2016
- 36Italy2023
- 136Mexico2021
- 2Brazil2024
20 Names Similar to Cecilia
Famous People Named Cecilia
- Saint CeciliaRoman martyr and patroness of musicians
- Cecilia Gustavsdotter VasaPrincess of Sweden; daughter of Gustav I
- CeciliaPrincess of Sweden; Grand Duchess of Oldenburg; daughter of Gustav IV Adolf
- Cecilia Nina BowesLyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II
- Cecilia PeckAmerican actress; daughter of Gregory Peck
- Cecilia BartoliItalian opera singer
- Cecilia ParkerAmerican actress
- (Anna) Cecilia MalmströmSwedish politician
- Cecilia Helena PayneGaposchkin, British,American astronomer
- Cecilia CheungHong Kong actress
- Cecilia TörnFinnish ice dancer
- Cecilia BeauxAmerican portraitist
- Cecilia LiuChinese actress
- Cecilia "Ceci" de la CuevaMexican actress
- Cecilia DeMille Harperdaughter of director Cecil B. DeMille
- Alice Cecilia Linh SvenssonSwedish singer and Idol 2008 runner,up
- CéciliaPrincess of Leiningen (b. 1988), daughter of Prince Karl Emich
- Cecilia Kowalczyk (b. 2011)daughter of musician Ed Kowalczyk of band Live
- Cecilia Delphine Walton (born 2012)daughter of Majandra Delfino and David Walton
- Cecilia Kate McMahon (b. 2014)daughter of singer Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin
Cecilia in Pop Culture
- Cecilia Marie HalpertJim's and Pam's daughter on The Office
- Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloomcharacter in book/film "Beaches"
- Cecilia "Cece" Parekhcharacter on TV's "New Girl"
- Cecilia "Cece" Jonescharacter on TV's "Shake It Up"
- Ceciliacharacter in film "Aquamarine"
- Ceciliacharacter in The Hunger Games series
- Cecilia Tallischaracter in Ian McEwan's "Atonement"
- Cecilia Smithcharacter on TV's "7th Heaven"
- Cecilia Aurora Serendia Mariemain character in "Palace of Mirrors" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
- Cecilia Nuthatchcharacter in "We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story"
- Cecilia "Cecil" Greymain character in Rumer Godden's novel 'The Greengage Summer'
- "Cecilia"song by Simon & Garfunkel
- "Cecilia and the Satellite"song by Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness; inspired by his daughter Cecilia
- "Cecilia"song by The Vamps and Shawn Mendes
International Variations of Cecilia
- CécileFrench
- SìleasScottish
- SiljaFinnish
- SiselYiddish
- ZiselYiddish
- CecilijaSlovene
- SíleIrish
- CaeciliaGerman
- CecyliaPolish
- CilkaSlovene
- SiljeDanish
Cecilia in Nameberry Blog Posts
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- 20 Great Girl Names from Song Titles
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- 30 Great Names You’re Not Using!
- 44 Names from 1917 You Should Use Now!
- Babyberry Arrivals of January: Althea Lake & Amos Beau
- Edwardian Names Ready to Revive
- British Baby Names: Two Middle Names
- Traditional Girl Names: The Ultimate Guide
- Feminist Names For Empowered Children
- Girl Names: Our 100 most popular for 2013 (so far)
- Girls’ Names 2012: Nameberry’s Top 100
- Olive or Olivia, Sophie or Sophia?
- Best C Names for Girls
- Great Medics Inspire Great Baby Names
- Hawaiian Names: The Ultimate Guide
- High Fashion Baby Names
- Italian Girls’ Names: Le tante sorelle di Isabella
- Literary Names: Fitzgerald names beyond the great Gatsby
- Little Black Dress Names Are Always in Style
- 30 vintage boy names not to be laughed off your list
- International Baby Names: Manx Names
- Modern Classic Baby Names: Cecilia, Calvin and Colin
- Name Guru to the Stars: Predictions for Halsey’s Baby Name
- Name Sage: Naming a Sister for Nora Penelope
- Names That Get Stuck in the Middle..and why
- Rock ‘n’ Roll Names: the Legends Live On!
- Saint Names: Patrons of the Arts
- Sibset: A name for Jack’s baby sister
- S-Names for Girls: Popularity of “S” vs. “Sh” sounds
- 20 Most Controversial Baby Names
- The Top Global Names Right Now
- Top 100 Girl Names of 2014
- Top Girl Names 2011
- Twin Names: The Ultimate Guide
- Underused Classic Baby Names: Calvin, Martin and Miriam
- Updating Popular 1950s Names
- Victorian Baby Names Revive an Era
- Yes, Millennial Mom Names Can Work for Alpha Era Girls!