Ceceilia
Latin feminine name derived from the name Caecilia, meaning "blind" or "dim-sighted".
Name Census estimates that about 273 living Americans carry the first name Ceceilia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ceceilia today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ceceilia births was 1956 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ceceilia. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
273
~ 1 in 1,255,510 Americans
Peak year
1956
15 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,770
Tracked since 1939
Census
Ceceilia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 362 people with the first name Ceceilia, which placed it at #25,958 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#25,958
National first-name rank
People counted
362
362 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
50.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ceceilia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ceceilia is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.4%) and Black (15.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ceceilia described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ceceilia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.3% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino25.4% · 92
- Black or African American15.7% · 57
- Two or more races3.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 7
Popularity
Ceceilia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ceceilia from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 71 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ceceilia by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ceceilia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ceceilias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ceceilia
The given name Ceceilia has its origins in Latin, derived from the Roman family name Caecilius. It is believed to have been initially formed from the Latin word "caecus," meaning "blind." The name gained popularity during the early Christian era and was borne by several notable figures within the Catholic Church.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to Saint Cecilia, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD. According to legend, she was a noble lady who dedicated her life to Christianity and remained steadfast in her faith, even in the face of persecution. Her feast day is celebrated on November 22nd in the Roman Catholic Church, and she is revered as the patron saint of musicians and Church music.
In the 5th century, the name Ceceilia was further popularized by Cecilia Arethusa, a Roman matron and early Christian saint. She is known for her steadfast devotion to her faith and her charitable works, which included providing shelter and aid to persecuted Christians during the reign of Emperor Diocletian.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ceceilia was particularly prevalent in Italy and other parts of Europe. One notable figure from this era was Cecilia of Rome (1200-1290), a Benedictine nun and mystic who was known for her spiritual visions and writings. Her legacy inspired the establishment of several religious orders dedicated to her name.
In the 16th century, Cecilia Renata of Austria (1611-1644), the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II, bore the name. She was a skilled composer and patron of the arts, and her influence helped shape the musical culture of her time.
Another notable figure was Cecilia Beaux (1855-1942), an American painter and member of the Philadelphia artistic elite. She was widely acclaimed for her portraits and depictions of contemporary life, and her work is celebrated as a significant contribution to American art.
Throughout history, the name Ceceilia has been associated with various cultural and religious traditions, reflecting its enduring appeal and versatility. Its connection to music, faith, and artistic expression has contributed to its lasting significance and resonance across generations.
People
Ceceilia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ceceilia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ceceilia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ceceilia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 273 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ceceilia going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,255,510 US residents.
Is Ceceilia a common name?
We classify Ceceilia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 327 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ceceilia most popular?
The single biggest year for Ceceilia was 1956, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ceceilia is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ceceilia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 362 people with the name Ceceilia, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,958 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ceceilia in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ceceilia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ceceilia appears almost entirely female. Of the 355 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ceceilia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ceceilia is White at 50.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (25.4%) and Black (15.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ceceilia most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ceceilia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.3% (182 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Ceceilia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ceceilia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ceceilia in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Ceceilia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ceceilia in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Ceceilia can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Ceceilia?
Want to know how many people have the name Ceceilia? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.