Secilia
An English feminine variant of the Latin name Cecilia meaning "blind".
Name Census estimates that about 342 living Americans carry the first name Secilia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Secilia today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Secilia births was 1996 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Secilia. 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
342
~ 1 in 1,002,206 Americans
Peak year
1996
18 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,198
Tracked since 1975
Popularity
Secilia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Secilia from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 115 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
Secilia 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 Secilia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Secilias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Secilia
The name Secilia has its origins in the Late Latin name Caecilia, which was derived from the Roman family name Caecilius. This family name is believed to be connected to the Latin word "caecus," meaning "blind." The name Caecilia was borne by a semi-legendary Roman woman who was venerated as a saint and martyr.
In the 3rd century AD, the Acts of the Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia recounted the story of a young Roman noblewoman who was martyred for her Christian faith during the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire. This text was instrumental in popularizing the name Caecilia among early Christians.
The name Secilia is an anglicized spelling variant of the Latin Caecilia, which emerged in various English-speaking regions during the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded examples of this spelling can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners in England after the Norman Conquest.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Secilia or its variants. One of the most famous was Cecilia Domitilla (died c. 98 AD), a Roman noblewoman who was exiled for her Christian faith during the reign of Emperor Domitian. Another notable bearer was Saint Cecilia (c. 200-230 AD), the patron saint of music and musicians, who was martyred during the persecution of Christians by the Roman Empire.
In the 16th century, Cecilia Renata of Austria (1611-1644), an Archduchess of Austria and Queen of Poland, was a prominent figure. During the 17th century, Cecilia Brecia (1628-1677), an Italian composer and singer, made significant contributions to the development of early opera.
Additionally, Cecilia Beaux (1855-1942), an American society portraitist and member of the Philadelphia School of artists, was highly esteemed for her works depicting prominent figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
People
Secilia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Secilia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Secilia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Secilia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 342 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Secilia 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 1,002,206 US residents.
Is Secilia a common name?
We classify Secilia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 350 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Secilia most popular?
The single biggest year for Secilia was 1996, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Secilia is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Secilia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Secilia 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.