girl's name
Cecelia
suh-SEEL-yuh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 3
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 61,900
the United States
#530
2025 births
Cecelia means blind, and the saint who carries it became the patron of music through what looks like a misreading — a line in her acta about music playing at her wedding was later taken to mean she made it.
- Cecelia is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 935 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 5,827 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Cecelia over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 852 |
| 1890s | 1,784 |
| 1900s | 2,793 |
| 1910s | 6,905 |
| 1920s | 7,169 |
| 1930s | 4,598 |
| 1940s | 7,368 |
| 1950s | 6,898 |
| 1960s | 3,857 |
| 1970s | 1,837 |
| 1980s | 1,825 |
| 1990s | 2,446 |
| 2000s | 3,654 |
| 2010s | 5,170 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,374 |
What Cecelia means
Cecelia means blind. The Roman family name descends from a word for blindness, so it began as an uncomplimentary byname rather than a description of character.
Where Cecelia comes from
Cecelia respells Cecilia, the feminine of the Roman Caecilius, built on caecus — blind. Uncomplimentary bynames were ordinary in Rome and lost their sting once a family rose. Saint Cecilia is patron of music and musicians, apparently because her acta describe organs playing at her wedding while she sang in her heart to God; the detail was read as her performing, and the association stuck hard enough to name academies after her.
Cecelia in use
Cecelia peaked in the United States in 1918, when 935 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 428th in England and Wales on 95 births, 450th in Scotland on 7 and 530th in the United States on 569, across 61,900 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. England and Wales set its own peak in the most recent year we hold, which is what a revival looks like.
How popular is Cecelia?
In 2025, Cecelia was given to 569 babies in the United States, ranking #530 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Cecelia is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Cecelia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cecelia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cecelia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Cecelia
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Cecelia in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Cecelia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cecelia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cecelia
What does the name Cecelia mean?
Blind — the Latin caecus, through the Roman family name Caecilius.
Why is Cecilia the patron of music?
Her acta mention organs playing at her wedding while she sang inwardly. The detail was read as her performing.
Is it Cecelia or Cecilia?
Cecilia is the standard form; Cecelia is a respelling.
Is Cecelia coming back?
Our data marks it reviving, and England and Wales set its peak in the most recent year we hold.
How popular is the name Cecelia?
In 2025, Cecelia was given to 569 babies in the United States, ranking #530 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Cecelia a girl's or a boy's name?
Cecelia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Cecelia?
Cecelia has 3 syllables.
When was Cecelia most popular?
Cecelia peaked in 1918, when 935 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Cecelia?
Cecelia is usually shortened to Cece.
Is Cecelia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cecelia currently ranks #428 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.