Cicily
Feminine
Cicily writes with two i's a name that has an e in every older English spelling of it, and the change is inaudible. The plant that shares the older spelling is a genuinely useful herb that almost nobody grows any more.
How old is the name Cicily?
Cicily first appears in US birth records in 1948 — 77 years ago. The typical Cicily alive today was born around 1990, making them about 35 years old. About 700 people named Cicily are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Cicily most popular?
Cicily peaked in 1974, reaching #1961 nationally. See the whole 1974 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Caecilia to Cicily
The story of Cicily
Sweet cicely is an umbellifer with fern-like leaves that grows in northern Britain and across Europe, and every part of it tastes faintly of aniseed. Its practical use is specific and worth knowing: cooked with sour fruit — rhubarb, gooseberries, damsons — it reduces the amount of sugar needed by a substantial fraction, without adding any flavor of its own beyond a light sweetness. Cooks used it constantly before sugar was cheap and then forgot it. The seeds are edible green and were once chewed; the root was eaten as a vegetable. Its botanical name contains the word myrrh, because of the scent. It is easy to grow, it comes up very early in the year, and it is one of the first plants bees find in spring.
Meaningscholars disagree
from a Roman family name traditionally read as blind
The Roman family name Caecilius is usually connected to the Latin word for blind, which would have been an ancestral nickname rather than a description of anyone alive. Roman family names of that shape often resist explanation, and this one is not secure.
How the name formed
- Caecilia
- Cecily
- Cicily
Related forms: Cecilia · Cecilia · Cécile
Pronouncing Cicily
SISS-uh-lee
Three syllables with the stress at the front. Both c's are soft before their vowels, which is regular, and the changed letter sits in a syllable that reduces to nothing.
Nicknames for Cicily
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
- 1948
- Most girls named
- 197443 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1961reached in 1974
- Change vs 2023
- 0.0%9 in 2024, from 9
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.
Cicily in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Cecilia in Italian — related form
- Cecilia in Spanish — related form
- Cécile in French — related form
Cicilys among us
people named Cicily are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Cicily sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Front stress on three syllables is a comfortable English rhythm.
- Two quite different short forms come out of it.
- The family behind it is genuinely ancient and widely used across Europe.
- Cecily, Cicely and Cecilia are all commoner and will be written for it.
- The changed letter is inaudible, so the spelling must be given aloud every time.
- The Roman family name's meaning is not secure, so it comes with a qualification.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Cicily to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Cicily? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Cicily
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Cicilys are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Cicily are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Cicily in 2025?
- Cicily is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Cicily with classmates?
- Cicily will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More C names
The most-given names starting with C, all years combined.
Carol#2239 · Cynthia#1013 · Catherine#313 · Christine#1272 · Carolyn#1222 · Christina#770 · Charlotte#2 · Cheryl#4352
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Cicily? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Cicily and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
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
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle