girl's name
Celia
SEE-lee-uh
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 122,203
the United States
#775
2025 births
Celia is a girl's name of Latin origin from the Roman family name Caelius, whose meaning is disputed between "heaven" and a much older Etruscan word. It ranks 122nd in France and 775th in the United States.
- Celia is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1915, when 853 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 9,445 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Celia over time
Births per decade in France, 1900s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 20 |
| 1920s | 15 |
| 1930s | 20 |
| 1940s | 35 |
| 1950s | 70 |
| 1960s | 365 |
| 1970s | 2,710 |
| 1980s | 6,070 |
| 1990s | 14,445 |
| 2000s | 23,385 |
| 2010s | 12,395 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 3,515 |
What Celia means
Celia's meaning is contested. Heavenly, from the Latin caelum, is the usual answer and may be a later reinterpretation; the family name it comes from is probably older than Latin and its original sense is lost.
Where Celia comes from
Celia comes from Caelia, the feminine of the Roman family name Caelius. That name is usually linked to caelum, heaven or sky, but Roman family names frequently predate the Latin words they resemble, and Caelius may be Etruscan, in which case its meaning is unrecoverable. It is separately linked to the Caelian Hill, one of Rome's seven. Shakespeare gave the name its English currency with Celia in As You Like It, Rosalind's cousin and the sharper of the two. It is commonly treated as a short form of Cecilia, which is a different Roman family name — Caecilius, from caecus, blind — and the two are unrelated despite the confusion. Célia with an accent appears separately in French records.
Celia in use
Celia ranks 122nd in France with about 490 births in 2025 and 775th in the United States, and our records mark it stable with a peak in 1915. Our records carry it from 1880. It appears across every market we hold, which is unusual for a name of its size — 734th in England and Wales, 771st in Ireland — and its French use runs alongside the accented Célia, which splits the total between two entries.
How popular is Celia?
In 2025, Celia was given to 351 babies in the United States, ranking #775 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Celia 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.
How Celia is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Célia | Célia is Celia written with an acute accent in France, and the spelling parents there overwhelmingly choose: it ranks #122 in France, against #574 for Celia. | 59,895 |
| Cèlia | Cèlia is a rare spelling of Celia, written with a grave accent and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Celia
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Celia also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Celia over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Celia 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 Celia
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Celia — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Celia
What does the name Celia mean?
It is disputed. Heavenly, from caelum, is the usual answer, but the family name it comes from may be Etruscan and older than Latin.
Is Celia short for Cecilia?
It is often treated that way, but they are separate Roman family names. Cecilia comes from caecus, blind.
Is Celia a Shakespearean name?
Shakespeare gave it its English currency, in As You Like It.
How popular is Celia?
122nd in France and 775th in the United States.
Is Celia a girl's or a boy's name?
Celia is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Celia?
Celia has 2 syllables.
Is Celia a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Celia currently ranks #122 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.