Cecilia
Girl name · #108 in 2025 · Well-known
In 2025, 2,506 baby girls were named Cecilia, placing it at #108 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #181, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 718 girls born in 2025 was named Cecilia.
The 145-year story
Cecilia first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 44 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 2,506 babies and a rank of #108. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Cecilia per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Cecilia against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Cecilia in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Cecilia is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Cecilia is most common
Geography matters for names, and Cecilia is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Cecilia is most common in CT (5.4 per 1,000), DE (5.3 per 1,000), RI (4.5 per 1,000), MA (4.2 per 1,000), NH (4 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 1.9 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Cecilia is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Nicknames & related forms of Cecilia
Cecilia carries a whole family of nicknames and spellings — names that will feel like the same name in a classroom.
Counted as one name, the Cecilia family went to about 3,075 girls in 2025 — together they'd rank around #82, versus #108 for Cecilia alone.
Names like Cecilia
Statistically, parents drawn to Cecilia tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Georgia, Talia, Dahlia, Natalia, and Aurelia.
GeorgiaTaliaDahliaNataliaAureliaLiaMagnoliaCatalina
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Cecilia | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,506 | #108 |
| 2024 | 2,248 | #123 |
| 2023 | 2,058 | #137 |
| 2022 | 2,006 | #145 |
| 2021 | 2,095 | #133 |
| 2020 | 1,860 | #147 |
| 2019 | 1,861 | #153 |
| 2018 | 1,809 | #155 |
| 2017 | 1,815 | #168 |
| 2016 | 1,827 | #177 |
| 2015 | 1,782 | #181 |
| 2014 | 1,640 | #206 |
| 2013 | 1,434 | #224 |
| 2012 | 1,463 | #215 |
| 2011 | 1,317 | #242 |
| 2010 | 1,202 | #277 |
| 2009 | 1,235 | #266 |
| 2008 | 1,259 | #271 |
| 2007 | 1,242 | #276 |
| 2006 | 1,245 | #264 |
| 2005 | 1,189 | #281 |
| 2004 | 1,178 | #279 |
| 2003 | 1,162 | #271 |
| 2002 | 1,171 | #269 |
| 2001 | 1,166 | #269 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Cecilia a popular girl name?
Cecilia ranked #108 among girls in 2025 with 2,506 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #181.
When was the name Cecilia most popular?
Cecilia peaked in 2025, when 2,506 American girls received the name (ranked #108 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Cecilia?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 718 newborn American girls was named Cecilia. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.