Cicely
A feminine given name of uncertain origin, possibly from the Greek kyklos meaning "circle".
Name Census estimates that about 2,158 living Americans carry the first name Cicely. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cicely today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cicely births was 1974 (256 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cicely. 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
2.2K
~ 1 in 158,830 Americans
Peak year
1974
256 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,396
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Cicely: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cicely from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,071 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cicely 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 Cicely during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cicelys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. California, Texas, Georgia recorded the most babies named Cicely, while District of Columbia, Oklahoma, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 39 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cicely
The name Cicely has its origins in the Latin name Caecilia, which was derived from the Roman family name Caecilius. Caecilia was the name of a young Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD. The name was later spelled as Cecily or Cecilia in English.
In the Middle Ages, the name Cicely emerged as a diminutive or pet form of Cecily in England. It was particularly popular among the noble classes and was borne by several notable women of the era. One of the earliest recorded examples is Cicely Neville, Duchess of York, who lived from 1415 to 1495.
Another famous bearer of the name was Cicely Plantagenet, Viscountess of Welles, who lived from 1469 to 1507. She was a member of the English royal family and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. Cicely Tufton, Baroness Tufton, was a prominent figure in the 16th century, known for her charitable works and support for the Church of England.
During the Renaissance period, the name Cicely was favored by some literary figures. Cicely Crofton, an English poet born in the late 16th century, was known for her contributions to the literary circles of her time. Cicely Baker, a 17th-century English writer and translator, was also a notable bearer of the name.
In more recent history, Cicely Courtneidge, born in 1893, was a famous English actress and comedian who starred in numerous musicals and films during the early 20th century. Cicely Tyson, born in 1924, is an acclaimed American actress known for her roles in films such as "Sounder" and the television series "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman."
While the name Cicely is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich historical legacy and has been borne by many notable women throughout the centuries, primarily in England and other parts of the British Isles.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Cicely
People
Cicely + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cicely 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
Cicely: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cicely?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,158 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cicely 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 158,830 US residents.
Is Cicely a common name?
We classify Cicely as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,378 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cicely most popular?
The single biggest year for Cicely was 1974, when 256 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cicely is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cicely a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cicely 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.