Cecily
Feminine · “blind”
Cecily is the English medieval form of Cecilia, and the Roman family name behind it means blind — a plain physical description that became the name of the patron saint of music.
How old is the name Cecily?
Cecily first appears in US birth records in 1911 — 114 years ago. The typical Cecily alive today was born around 1992, making them about 33 years old. About 8,100 people named Cecily are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Cecily most popular?
Cecily peaked in 1989, reaching #497 nationally. Today it ranks #1540, 1,043 places below that high. See the whole 1989 chart.
Cecily appears on these lists:
Where it comes from
From caecus to Cecily
The story of Cecily
Cecilia was a Roman martyr and became patron of music and of musicians; Purcell, Handel and Britten all wrote for her feast day. Cecily was the ordinary English medieval form — Cecily Neville was Richard III's mother. It faded and returned, and appears in American records rising through the 2010s alongside Cecilia and Cece.
Meaning
blind
From the Roman family name Caecilius, from caecus, 'blind'. Roman family names frequently record a physical trait of some ancestor. Saint Cecilia became patron of music through a line in her legend about singing in her heart, which has nothing to do with the etymology.
How the name formed
- caecus
- Caecilia
- Cecilia
- Cecily
Related forms: Cecilia · Cécile · Cecilia
Pronouncing Cecily
SESS-ih-lee
Three syllables, stress on the first. Cecilia has four with the stress in the middle.
Nicknames for Cecily
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
- 1911
- Most girls named
- 1989472 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #497reached in 1989
- Change vs 2023
- +23.4%137 in 2025, from 111
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.
Cecily in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Cecilia in English — related form
- Cécile in French — related form
- Cecilia in Italian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, New York.
Cecilys among us
people named Cecily are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 11,732 born in 2025 was named Cecily
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Tamatha test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Cecily's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Tamatha climbed just as high around 1968, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Tamatha's path sketches the road Cecily is walking now.
Cecily 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
Where Cecily is headed
Cecily should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Cecily beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Cecily in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The patron saint of music is a genuinely substantial figure behind it.
- It has a documented English record running back to the Middle Ages.
- Cece is available as a short form with real currency now.
- The blind meaning is plainer than most families expect.
- Cecilia is the commoner form and will often be substituted.
- The older Sissy clipping carries associations no family wants.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Cecily to the vote.
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What they receive
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Cecily
Feminine · #1540 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Cecilys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 8,100 people named Cecily are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Cecily in 2025?
- Cecily ranks #1540 among US girl names in 2025, with 137 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Cecily?
- About 1 in every 11,732 US girls born in 2025 was named Cecily — 137 in all.
- Will my child share the name Cecily with classmates?
- Cecily will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Cecily
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Malak#1540 · Milagros#1540 · Laya#1540 · Kelani#1540 · Aarna#1540 · Riya#1540 · Zylah#1540 · Renesmee#1534
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Cecily? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Cecily and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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