Head to head · Girls' names
Anna vs Cecilia
#107 vs #108 in 2025
Anna is a whisker ahead (#107 vs #108 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Anna is stepping back from its peak, Cecilia is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Cecilia has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Anna leads 4 measures of 6; Cecilia leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Anna #2, Cecilia #250 — Anna higher
- 1890s: Anna #2, Cecilia #221 — Anna higher
- 1900s: Anna #4, Cecilia #204 — Anna higher
- 1910s: Anna #7, Cecilia #223 — Anna higher
- 1920s: Anna #14, Cecilia #251 — Anna higher
- 1930s: Anna #32, Cecilia #276 — Anna higher
- 1940s: Anna #74, Cecilia #247 — Anna higher
- 1950s: Anna #101, Cecilia #263 — Anna higher
- 1960s: Anna #98, Cecilia #335 — Anna higher
- 1970s: Anna #82, Cecilia #386 — Anna higher
- 1980s: Anna #54, Cecilia #342 — Anna higher
- 1990s: Anna #39, Cecilia #285 — Anna higher
- 2000s: Anna #23, Cecilia #273 — Anna higher
- 2010s: Anna #43, Cecilia #200 — Anna higher
- 2020s: Anna #86, Cecilia #132 — Anna higher
Anna stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Anna | Cecilia |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #2 | #250 |
| 1890s | #2 | #221 |
| 1900s | #4 | #204 |
| 1910s | #7 | #223 |
| 1920s | #14 | #251 |
| 1930s | #32 | #276 |
| 1940s | #74 | #247 |
| 1950s | #101 | #263 |
| 1960s | #98 | #335 |
| 1970s | #82 | #386 |
| 1980s | #54 | #342 |
| 1990s | #39 | #285 |
| 2000s | #23 | #273 |
| 2010s | #43 | #200 |
| 2020s | #86 | #132 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Anna
- France#15
- Canada#51
- Scotland#54
Cecilia
Not charting outside the US.
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Anna
grace, favor
Anna is the Greek and Latin rendering of Hebrew Ḥannāh, from a root meaning grace or favor.
Ḥannāh → Hanna → Anna → Anne → Ann
How it traveled
The Hebrew name Ḥannāh belonged to the mother of the prophet Samuel; when Jewish scholars translated their scriptures into Greek, they wrote it Anna, and that form entered Latin and then all of Christian Europe. A prophetess named Anna appears in the Gospel of Luke, and Christian tradition gave the name to the mother of Mary, which sent it into the calendars of saints and from there into ordinary use in nearly every European language.
Cecilia
from the Roman family name Caecilius, itself from Latin caecus, "blind"
Worth knowing how the chain works: Caecilius was an inherited clan name in Rome, so no one was ever describing a person when they used it. The word behind it is the plain Latin adjective, and the connection is standard in the reference literature.
Caecilius → Caecilia → Cecilia → Cecily
How it traveled
The Caecilii were one of the well-known families of the Roman Republic, and Caecilia was simply the feminine form a daughter of that house would carry. What lifted it out of Roman genealogy was Saint Cecilia, a martyr honored in Rome from late antiquity onward, whose church still stands in Trastevere; by the late Middle Ages she was the patron of music and musicians.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Anna
AN-uh
Two syllables, stress on the first. Much of continental Europe says AH-nah, with a broader first vowel — both are the same name, and speakers switch between them without difficulty.
- Annie — The long-standing English short form, and a registered given name in its own right for well over a century.
- Anya — The Russian diminutive, used independently as a given name in English-speaking countries.
- Ania — Standard Polish diminutive, informal, used at home and among friends.
- Nan — An older English short form from the Ann/Anna family; now mostly heard among earlier generations.
- Also Annushka, Anni.
Cecilia
suh-SEEL-yuh
Also said suh-SEE-lee-uh with four full syllables; both are standard in American English. In Italian it is che-CHEE-lya, in Spanish seh-SEE-lya, so relatives abroad may say it differently without saying it wrong.
- Cece — The most widely used short form in American English; also written CeCe and given on its own to some children.
- Celia — Informal short form, but long established as an independent given name in its own right.
- Cilla — Used in English and, more commonly, in Sweden and Britain.
- Sissy — An older family nickname, still heard among earlier generations; carries a separate slang sense in American English.
- Also Lia.
Who has carried each name
Anna
Anna Kendrick (b. 1985) — Pitch Perfect star
Anna Wintour (b. 1949) — Vogue's legendary editor-in-chief
Anna Pavlova (b. 1882) — The ballerina so famous a dessert was named after her
Cecilia
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (b. 1900) — Astronomer who discovered what stars are made of
Cecilia Bartoli (b. 1966) — Opera superstar mezzo-soprano
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Anna if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsAnna is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesAnna is 2 syllables to Cecilia's 3
- a name that charts abroad tooAnna is on the national lists of France, Canada and Scotland
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 52% for Cecilia
Choose Cecilia if you want…
- a name on the way upup 39 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itCecilia runs 3 syllables, Anna 2
- a name that feels very nowCecilia is climbing the charts fast
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Anna
Strengths
- Spelled the same in English, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, Hungarian, Greek and the Nordic languages — no adaptation needed when it crosses a border.
- Everyone can spell it on the first try, and it fits any form field.
- Established short forms already exist: Annie, Anya, Ania, Nan — no need to invent one.
To consider
- Ana, Anne and Hannah are all in circulation and all sound close, so she may spend a lifetime confirming the spelling — usually with one short sentence rather than a struggle.
- In the United States it has a long history behind it, and a great many living Annas were named generations ago. That gives the name real depth; it also means she may meet more grown Annas than young ones.
- Four letters and two soft syllables can blur against a very short surname. Saying the full name aloud a few times settles the question quickly.
Cecilia
Strengths
- Recognized in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Polish and Scandinavian forms — it crosses borders without needing to be re-explained.
- A written record stretching from Republican Rome to this year's kindergartens, with no gap long enough to make it feel like a revival.
- Several long-established short forms — Cece, Celia, Cilla — so a child has real choices without inventing anything.
To consider
- Cecelia is a genuine rival spelling, and Cecilia will be written that way by some people for life. Worth deciding early which one goes on the forms and saying it the same way every time.
- Two accepted pronunciations means she will hear both, and will have to correct people or let it go. Neither is a mistake, which makes it harder to insist on one.
- The Simon and Garfunkel song of the same name has been sung at every Cecilia for decades, and probably will be again.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Anna
12%chance Anna feels dated by 2040
Anna has held the top-100 across 14 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
Cecilia
52%chance Cecilia feels dated by 2040
Cecilia is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Anna and Cecilia in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Anna and Cecilia?
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Anna and Cecilia — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Anna or Cecilia — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Anna or Cecilia?
- Anna, in 2025: Anna ranked #107 with 2,521 babies; Cecilia ranked #108 with 2,506 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Anna or Cecilia?
- Cecilia. Over the last five years Anna moved down 39 places; Cecilia moved up 39 places.
- Which is the older name, Anna or Cecilia?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Anna and Cecilia?
- About 445,000 people named Anna are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 84,500 people named Cecilia are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Annas or Cecilias in the classroom?
- Anna will almost certainly be the only one in school. Cecilia will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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