2000
#2,804
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,758
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.36
Uncommon Last name
Cecil
An English surname derived from the Welsh name Seisyll, meaning "sixth-born" or "blind to evil."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,239 Americans carry the last name Cecil. That puts it at #3,038 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,890 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cecil surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cecil with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,890
Census rank
#3,038
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,545 bearers of the surname Cecil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3038th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cecil, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cecil
The surname CECIL has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin name Caecilius, which itself comes from the Roman family name Caecilius. The name is thought to be connected to the Latin word caecus, meaning "blind."
The earliest recorded instances of the name come from the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Ceccill and Cecill. These early spellings suggest that the name may have originally been a reference to someone with a visual impairment or a nickname related to blindness.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved into its modern form of CECIL, and it began to spread across various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname CECIL was William CECIL, 1st Baron Burghley (1520-1598), a prominent English statesman who served as Lord High Treasurer under Queen Elizabeth I. He played a crucial role in the English Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England.
Another historically significant figure bearing the CECIL name was Robert CECIL, 1st Earl of Salisbury (1563-1612), the son of William CECIL. He served as the Secretary of State and Lord Privy Seal under Queen Elizabeth I and later became Lord Treasurer under King James I.
In the realm of literature, the CECIL surname is associated with Algernon CECIL, Baron Amherst of Arracan (1792-1857), a British diplomat and author who wrote several books on his travels and experiences in India and Burma.
The name has also been associated with certain place names in England, such as Cecil County in Maryland, which was named after Cecil Calvert, the 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605-1675), a prominent English colonist and the first proprietor of the Province of Maryland.
Other notable individuals with the CECIL surname include David CECIL, 6th Marquess of Exeter (1905-1981), a British biographer and literary scholar, and Henry CECIL, 10th Marquess of Exeter (1939-1988), a British peer and Conservative politician.
While the CECIL surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through British colonization and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cecil
Among Census respondents with the surname Cecil, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cecil bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cecil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 10,236
- Two or more races3.5% · 402
- Black or African American3.4% · 396
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 313
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 120
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 78
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cecil
Cecil appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,941
+183 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 4.05
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#3,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,545
-396 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,804 | 11,758 | 4.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,004 | 11,941 | 4.05 | +183 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #3,038 | 11,545 | 3.86 | -396 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 34 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cecil surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,004 | #3,038 | -1.1% |
| Count | 11,941 | 11,545 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.05 | 3.86 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cecil bearers went from 11,941 to 11,545 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,004 to #3,038.
FAQ
Cecil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cecil?
Name Census estimates that about 13,239 living Americans carry the surname Cecil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,890 residents.
How common is Cecil?
Cecil ranks #3,038 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,545 people with the surname Cecil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,239), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Cecil.
Has Cecil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cecil went from 11,941 recorded bearers to 11,545. That is a decrease of 396 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,004 to #3,038.
What does the Census say about the background of Cecil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cecil, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cecil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (10,236 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cecil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Black (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cecil (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cecil mean?
An English surname derived from the Welsh name Seisyll, meaning "sixth-born" or "blind to evil." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cecil (3.86 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Cecil?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.