ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 👦As Boy Name 1880 First Year 2026 Last Year 1920 Peak Year #65 Peak Rank 107K Total Count 147 Years Active 👧As Girl Name 1880 First Year 2022 Last Year 1916 Peak Year #404 Peak Rank 8K Total Count 118 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Cecil What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Cecil is a given name of Welsh origin. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 📖 ## The Story of Cecil ### As a girl name Cecil first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1880, with 14 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1916, when 241 Cecils were born — ranking #404 that year. As of 2026, Cecil ranks #15,292 for girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 8K Cecils have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ### As a boy name Cecil first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1880, with 45 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1920, when 2,459 Cecils were born — ranking #77 that year. As of 2026, Cecil ranks #1,452 for boys with 126 births, gradually rising (+14%). In total, more than 107K Cecils have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time Girls Boys ## Popularity by State 👧 Girls 👦 Boys ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Cecil Phonetically similar names — useful when Cecil is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Sessile * Sissel * Scissile * Sessel * Sisel * Sizzle * [Cecily](/cecily) * [Cecile](/cecile) * Sisal * [Cecilie](/cecilie) * [Sisa](/sisa) * Sozzle Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Cecil What does the name Cecil mean? Cecil is a given name of Welsh origin. How popular is Cecil in 2026? In 2026, Cecil ranks #1,452 among boys' names in the U.S., with 126 babies given the name that year. When was Cecil most popular? Cecil reached its peak popularity in 1920, ranking #65 that year with 2,459 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Cecil most popular? Cecil has historically been most popular in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Wyoming. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Cecil. Is Cecil a unisex name? Yes — Cecil is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 7% of Cecils assigned female and 93% assigned male historically. What names go well with Cecil? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Cecil include Guy, Vernon, Joel. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names ### 👦 Similar Boy Names [👦GuyPeak #65](/guy)[👦VernonPeak #65](/vernon)[👦JoelPeak #65](/joel)[👦JonPeak #65](/jon) ### 👧 Similar Girl Names [👧LashondaPeak #404](/lashonda)[👧AlidaPeak #403](/alida)[👧PrudencePeak #403](/prudence)[👧WinonaPeak #405](/winona) ## About the name Cecil Cecil is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 107K births in the dataset. Cecil's peak popularity came in 1920 when it ranked #65\. Use the chart and map above to compare Cecil's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1920 → ](/year/1920) * [ Names of the 1920s → ](/decade/1920s) * [ Names starting with "C" → ](/letter/c) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) * [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.