Cecilie
A feminine given name of Latin origin meaning "blind" or "dim-sighted".
Name Census estimates that about 318 living Americans carry the first name Cecilie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cecilie today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cecilie births was 1990 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cecilie. 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
318
~ 1 in 1,077,844 Americans
Peak year
1990
25 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,506
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Cecilie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cecilie from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 106 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cecilie 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 Cecilie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cecilies live
Origin
Meaning and history of Cecilie
Cecilie is a feminine given name with roots dating back to ancient Rome. It is derived from the Roman family name Caecilius, which is believed to come from the Latin word "caecus" meaning "blind." The name gained popularity in the early days of Christianity as it was borne by the semi-legendary Saint Cecilia, a Roman martyr venerated in the Catholic Church.
The name Cecilie first appeared in its modern spelling during the Middle Ages, particularly in areas of Europe influenced by the Catholic Church. It became a common name among noble and aristocratic families, especially in regions such as France, Germany, and Scandinavia.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Cecilie can be found in the 9th century, when Cecilie, the daughter of King Louis the Pious of the Carolingian Empire, was born in 828 AD. Another notable figure was Cecilie of Brandenburg (1405-1465), a German princess who married the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.
During the Renaissance period, the name Cecilie gained further prominence. Cecilie Renata of Austria (1567-1633) was an influential Archduchess of Austria and the ruler of the Duchy of Modena and Reggio.
In the 17th century, Cecilie Mariane of Baden (1654-1717) was a German princess who married the King of Poland and became the Queen of Poland.
The name also has a strong association with the arts and music. Cecilie Chaminade (1857-1944) was a French composer and pianist who achieved recognition for her compositions and performances during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
People
Cecilie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cecilie 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
Cecilie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cecilie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 318 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cecilie 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 1,077,844 US residents.
Is Cecilie a common name?
We classify Cecilie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 371 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cecilie most popular?
The single biggest year for Cecilie was 1990, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cecilie is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cecilie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cecilie 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.
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.