Girl · Latin
Cecily
Say it: SESS-ih-lee
Meaning
From Latin Caecilia, a Roman family name traditionally derived from caecus 'blind', though the derivation of family names like this is not secure.
Likelythe main view, with some doubt.
The usual medieval English form of Cecilia, popular through devotion to the virgin martyr Saint Cecilia.
Its wave through time
Most used in the 1980s
In the United States
- 8,029 babies given this name since 1911
- At its height in 1989, about 1 in 3,900 girls
- 130 babies in 2020
Through the ages
Used by
The family of the name
Other spellings: Cicely, Cecilia, Sisley, Cecely
| Latin | Caecilia |
|---|---|
| French | Cécile |
| Italian | Cecilia |
| German | Cäcilie |
Famous bearers
- Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, mother of Edward IV and Richard III
Names worth a look
Where this comes from
- English poll taxes and lay subsidy rolls (13th and 14th centuries)
- Royal and noble genealogies
- Lives of the saints and early Christian martyrologies
- 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.