boy's name
Cedric
SED-rik
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 201,671
Canada
#389
2024 births
Cedric was invented by Walter Scott in Ivanhoe in 1819, and it appears to be a misspelling — he took the Anglo-Saxon Cerdic and transposed the letters. It is one of the most successful mistakes in naming.
- Cedric is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in France in 1978, when 10,585 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- First appears in birth records in 1946.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Cedric over time
Births per decade in France, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2023, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 10 |
| 1950s | 100 |
| 1960s | 1,950 |
| 1970s | 62,160 |
| 1980s | 64,355 |
| 1990s | 18,630 |
| 2000s | 4,510 |
| 2010s | 855 |
| 2020s (to 2023) | 175 |
What Cedric means
Cedric has no inherited meaning, because it was never a real name before Scott used it. Any reading given for it works backwards from the Anglo-Saxon Cerdic, which is itself unresolved.
Where Cedric comes from
Cedric first appears in Walter Scott's Ivanhoe in 1819, as Cedric the Saxon, and every earlier trace is absent. The consensus is that Scott intended Cerdic, the historical founder of the West Saxon royal house, and transposed the letters — deliberately or otherwise. Cerdic's own name is itself a puzzle: it looks British rather than Germanic, which is awkward for a founding figure of the English monarchy. Frances Hodgson Burnett used Cedric for Little Lord Fauntleroy in 1886, which is what carried it into general use, and it belongs with Pamela, Vanessa and Wendy in the group of names that began as a writer's invention.
Cedric in use
Cedric peaked in France in 1978, when 10,585 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 1053rd in the United States on 209 births, 1117th in England and Wales on 27 and 1458th in France on 20, across 201,671 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it only from 1946, and its three markets sit within roughly four hundred places of each other.
How popular is Cedric?
In 2023, Cedric was given to 5 babies in France. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Cedric is used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
How Cedric is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Cédric | Cédric is Cedric written with an acute accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #1,458 in France, against #6,586 for Cedric. | 19,350 |
| Cèdric | Cèdric is a rare spelling of Cedric, written with a grave accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Cedric
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cedric also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cedric over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Cedric 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 Cedric
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cedric — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cedric
What does the name Cedric mean?
Nothing inherited — it was invented by Walter Scott and appears to be a misspelling of the Anglo-Saxon Cerdic.
Who invented the name Cedric?
Walter Scott, in Ivanhoe in 1819. There is no trace of the name before him.
Was it really a mistake?
The consensus is that he meant Cerdic, founder of the West Saxon royal house, and transposed the letters.
How popular is Cedric?
1053rd in the United States and 1117th in England and Wales.
Is Cedric a girl's or a boy's name?
Cedric is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Cedric?
Cedric has 2 syllables.
Is Cedric a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cedric currently ranks #389 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.