Ceilidh
Celtic name of Scottish Gaelic origin meaning "a visit" or "a gathering".
Name Census estimates that about 105 living Americans carry the first name Ceilidh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ceilidh today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ceilidh births was 1999 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ceilidh. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ceilidh with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
105
~ 1 in 3,264,327 Americans
Peak year
1999
12 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2009 SSA rank
#12,669
Tracked since 1989
Census
Ceilidh in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 183 people with the first name Ceilidh, which placed it at #40,598 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
#40,598
National first-name rank
People counted
183
183 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
86.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ceilidh
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ceilidh is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Ceilidh 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 Ceilidh at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 158
- Two or more races6.0% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 5
- Black or African American2.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 2
Popularity
Ceilidh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ceilidh from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 54 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ceilidh 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 Ceilidh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ceilidh
The name Ceilidh originates from the Scottish Gaelic word "cèilidh," which refers to a traditional Gaelic social gathering involving music, singing, storytelling, and dancing. The word itself is believed to derive from the Old Irish "céilide," meaning a visit or a farewell.
In the Scottish Highlands and Islands, cèilidhs were a vital part of the cultural fabric, providing opportunities for communities to come together and celebrate their shared heritage. These gatherings were often held in homes, village halls, or even barns, with participants taking turns performing songs, reciting poetry, or sharing tales from their ancestral past.
While the name Ceilidh is not directly referenced in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is deeply rooted in the oral traditions of Scottish Gaelic culture. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the late 20th century, as it grew in popularity among parents seeking to honor their Scottish heritage.
One of the earliest known individuals to bear the name Ceilidh was Ceilidh Millar, a Scottish singer and musician born in 1969. Millar gained recognition for her contributions to the Scottish folk music scene, releasing several acclaimed albums and performing at various Celtic music festivals.
Another notable figure with the name Ceilidh is Ceilidh Sutherland, a Canadian-born actress and producer known for her work in films and television shows such as "Reign" and "The Vampire Diaries." Sutherland, born in 1981, has embraced her Scottish roots and has been an advocate for promoting Scottish culture through her artistic endeavors.
In the world of sports, Ceilidh Trail is a Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) from 2008 to 2019. Trail, born in 1984, was a member of the Canadian National Women's Hockey Team and represented her country at various international tournaments.
Ceilidh Robertson, born in 1993, is a Scottish actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films, including "Outlander" and "Sunset Song." Her name has helped her connect with her Scottish heritage and has become a source of pride for her.
Lastly, Ceilidh Percival is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician born in 1992. Percival has gained recognition for her blend of folk, pop, and indie rock styles, and her name has become an integral part of her artistic identity, reflecting her deep appreciation for her Scottish roots.
While the name Ceilidh may be relatively modern in its usage as a given name, it carries with it a rich cultural heritage and a connection to the vibrant traditions of Scottish Gaelic society. These individuals and many others have embraced the name, serving as ambassadors for Scottish culture and keeping the spirit of the cèilidh alive.
People
Ceilidh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ceilidh 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
Ceilidh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ceilidh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 105 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ceilidh 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 3,264,327 US residents.
Is Ceilidh a common name?
We classify Ceilidh as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 107 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ceilidh most popular?
The single biggest year for Ceilidh was 1999, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ceilidh is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ceilidh in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 183 people with the name Ceilidh, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,598 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 Ceilidh 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 Ceilidh?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ceilidh appears almost entirely female. Of the 180 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 Ceilidh?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ceilidh is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Ceilidh most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ceilidh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (158 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 Ceilidh in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ceilidh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ceilidh 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 Ceilidh still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ceilidh 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 Ceilidh 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 common is the name Ceilidh?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.