Cecil

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Boy · Welsh, from Latin

Cecil

Say it: SESS-ul

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From the surname of the Cecil family, ultimately from Welsh Seisyll, itself from Latin Sextilius; association with Caecilius is likely.

Uncertainseveral explanations, none settled.

A Victorian aristocratic surname-name.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1910s

In the United States

114,073 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1915, about 1 in 389 boys
94 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914

Used by

The family of the name

Latin	Caecilius

Famous bearers

Cecil Rhodes, imperialist

Names worth a look

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JosiahBoyHebrew Yoshiyyahu, of uncertain meaning; 'YHWH supports' and 'YHWH heals' have been proposed.Biblical · peak 2017

CeciliaGirlLatin, feminine of the Roman family name Caecilius, traditionally derived from caecus 'blind'.Rome · peak 1904

CecilyGirlFrom Latin Caecilia, a Roman family name traditionally derived from caecus 'blind', though the derivation of family…Middle Ages · peak 1989

Where this comes from

Royal and noble genealogies
National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.