Girls' name · peaked in 1901
Cecelia name popularity since 1925
44,193 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Cecelia. Half of them were born in 1960 or earlier, so the typical Cecelia is about 66 years old in 2026. Cecelia peaked in 1901 as the #176 name for girls, and it ranked #529 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 44,193
- Named Cecelia, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1901
- #176 for girls that year
- In 2025
- #529
- for girls in 2025 (569 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 100.0% girls
- 44,182 girls · 11 boys
- Most popular in
- District of Columbia
- 2.36× its national share
Peak year is the year Cecelia made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Cecelia births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1947. Measured as a share of all babies, Cecelia peaked earlier, in 1901.
- Steepest fall: Between 1959 and 1964, Cecelia's share of baby girls fell by 40%, from 1 in 3,020 to 1 in 5,070.
- Fastest rise: Between 2010 and 2015, it became 1.5× more common, from 1 in 4,720 baby girls to 1 in 3,120.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Cecelia's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Cecelia.
Decade by decade
Babies named Cecelia in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 3,166 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 4,592 | 6 | #301 |
| 1940s | 7,363 | 5 | #275 |
| 1950s | 6,898 | 0 | #332 |
| 1960s | 3,857 | 0 | #526 |
| 1970s | 1,837 | 0 | #818 |
| 1980s | 1,825 | 0 | #886 |
| 1990s | 2,446 | 0 | #800 |
| 2000s | 3,654 | 0 | #660 |
| 2010s | 5,170 | 0 | #544 |
| 2020–25 | 3,374 | 0 | #529 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
28.7% of babies named Cecelia from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Cecelia is most popular
The index compares Cecelia's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Cecelia.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 2.36× | 436 |
| Pennsylvania | 1.87× | 3,804 |
| New Mexico | 1.84× | 407 |
| Maryland | 1.74× | 1,067 |
| Minnesota | 1.63× | 1,195 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Cecelia and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Cecelia (this page) | 44,182 | 1901 |
| Cecilia | 97,593 | 2025 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Cecelia's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Cecelia.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Cecelia (1901).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data