Cecile
Feminine · “blind”
Cecile is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 20,421 girls against 191 boys since 1880.
Cecile is the French feminine of a Roman family name, and the Latin behind it is blunt: caecus means blind. The family may have taken it from an ancestor, and the name outlasted the reason for it by two thousand years.
How old is the name Cecile?
Cecile was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Cecile alive today was born around 1927, making them about 98 years old. About 6,300 people named Cecile are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Cecile most popular?
Cecile peaked in 1898, reaching #221 nationally. Today it ranks #5554, 5,333 places below that high. See the whole 1898 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From caecus to Cecile
The story of Cecile
Cecilia was a Roman martyr whose cult was established by the fifth century, and her association with music — from a phrase in her acts describing her singing to God during her wedding — made her the patron of musicians, with concerts and academies named for her across Europe. French formed Cécile, which English-speaking countries borrowed with and without the accent. American use peaked around 1918.
Meaning
blind
From the Roman family name Caecilius, from the Latin caecus, 'blind'. Roman family names were routinely built from physical descriptions of a founding ancestor. The martyr Cecilia made it a saint's name, and she became the patron of music through a line in her legend about singing in her heart.
How the name formed
- caecus
- Caecilia
- Cécile
- Cecile
Related forms: Cécile · Cecilia · Cecilia · Síle
Pronouncing Cecile
suh-SEEL
Two syllables, stress on the second. French says say-SEEL with a clearer first vowel; English tends to reduce it.
Nicknames for Cecile
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most girls named
- 1918495 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #221reached in 1898
- Change vs 2022
- +10.0%22 in 2025, from 20
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Cecile in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Cécile in French — same name
- Cecilia in Italian — related form
- Cecilia in Spanish — related form
- Síle in Irish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Louisiana.
Ceciles among us
people named Cecile are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 73,058 born in 2025 was named Cecile
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Cecile sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Cecile beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Cecile in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A documented Roman family name with a saint whose patronage of music is genuinely appealing.
- It is standard in French, and its cousins are standard across Europe.
- Cece is a ready-made short form with real currency now.
- The literal meaning is 'blind', which some families will want to weigh.
- Cecilia is commoner in English and will often be assumed.
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What they receive
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Cecile
Feminine · #5554 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Ceciles are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 6,300 people named Cecile are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Cecile in 2025?
- Cecile ranks #5554 among US girl names in 2025, with 22 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Cecile?
- About 1 in every 73,058 US girls born in 2025 was named Cecile — 22 in all.
- Will my child share the name Cecile with classmates?
- Cecile will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Cecile
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Eda#5554 · Phebe#5554 · Felicia#5554 · Audie#5554 · Maryellen#5554 · Warren#5554 · Ruthann#5554 · Nettie#5554
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Cecile? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Cecile and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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