Celie
A feminine given name of French origin meaning "heavenly".
Name Census estimates that about 221 living Americans carry the first name Celie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Celie today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Celie births was 1916 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Celie. 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
221
~ 1 in 1,550,925 Americans
Peak year
1916
15 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,780
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Celie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Celie from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 86 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Celie 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 Celie 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 Celie
The name Celie is a diminutive form of the French name Céline, which derives from the Latin name Caelestina, meaning "heavenly" or "celestial." This name has its roots in ancient Roman culture, with references dating back to the 3rd century AD.
Céline was initially a feminine form of the Roman family name Caelius, which was derived from the Latin word "caelum," meaning "heaven" or "sky." The name gained popularity during the early Christian era, as it was seen as a symbolic representation of the celestial realm and the divine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Celie can be found in the 12th century, when a French noblewoman named Celie de Vermandois lived during the reign of King Philip II of France. She was known for her piety and charitable works, and her name became associated with virtue and kindness.
In the 13th century, a renowned Italian scholar and philosopher named Celie da Pisa made significant contributions to the study of logic and metaphysics. Her works influenced the intellectual discourse of her time and helped shape the development of medieval scholasticism.
During the Renaissance period, Celie Merrill, an English poet and playwright born in 1550, gained recognition for her works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Her poetry collection, "A Garland of Verses," was widely celebrated and earned her a place among the notable literary figures of the Elizabethan era.
In the 18th century, Celie Renault, a French artist and engraver born in 1738, gained recognition for her exquisite etchings and engravings, which captured the beauty of landscapes and architectural wonders. Her works were highly sought after by art collectors and connoisseurs of her time.
Another notable figure bearing the name Celie was Celie Mercer, an American abolitionist and women's rights activist born in 1824. She was a prominent figure in the anti-slavery movement and worked tirelessly to promote equality and social justice for all people, regardless of race or gender.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and diverse individuals who have carried the name Celie throughout the centuries, each leaving their mark on various fields and contributing to the cultural tapestry of their respective eras.
People
Celie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Celie 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
Celie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Celie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 221 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Celie 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 1,550,925 US residents.
Is Celie a common name?
We classify Celie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 508 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Celie most popular?
The single biggest year for Celie was 1916, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Celie is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Celie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Celie 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.