Sissie
Feminine diminutive form of the French name Cecile/Cecilia, meaning "blind".
Name Census estimates that about 19 living Americans carry the first name Sissie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Sissie today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sissie births was 1911 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sissie. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sissie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
19
~ 1 in 18,039,702 Americans
Peak year
1911
6 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1983 SSA rank
#11,807
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Sissie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sissie from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 11 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
Sissie 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 Sissie 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 Sissie
The name Sissie is believed to have originated from the English language, specifically as a diminutive or nickname form of the name Cecilia. Cecilia is derived from the Roman family name Caecilius, which has its roots in the Latin word "caecus," meaning "blind."
The name Cecilia gained widespread popularity in the Christian tradition due to its association with Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians. Saint Cecilia lived in the 3rd century AD and was venerated for her unwavering faith and martyrdom during the Roman persecutions of Christians.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Sissie was Sissie Scarlette, an English actress born in 1843. She was known for her performances on the London stage in the late 19th century.
Another notable figure was Sissie Peucker, a German-American author and philanthropist born in 1874. She was recognized for her work in promoting women's education and social welfare initiatives.
In the realm of sports, Sissie Thurston stands out as a pioneering female athlete. Born in 1892, she was a renowned golfer who won multiple titles in the early 20th century, including the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship in 1919.
Sissie Haywood, born in 1907, was a celebrated American actress and dancer. She appeared in numerous Broadway productions and Hollywood films, earning critical acclaim for her performances throughout the 1930s and 1940s.
Sissie Austin, born in 1914, was an influential African American educator and civil rights activist. She dedicated her life to promoting equal educational opportunities and advocating for racial equality, particularly in the segregated South.
While the name Sissie may have been more commonly used as a nickname in earlier times, it has maintained a unique and enduring presence throughout history, carried by individuals who have left their mark across various fields and endeavors.
People
Sissie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sissie 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
Sissie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sissie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 19 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sissie 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 18,039,702 US residents.
Is Sissie a common name?
We classify Sissie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sissie most popular?
The single biggest year for Sissie was 1911, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sissie is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Sissie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sissie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sissie 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 Sissie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sissie 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 Sissie 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Sissie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.