Total births
60,519
Girls' name · since 1880
Cecelia
60,519 babies named Cecelia in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #570
- among girls today
- 60,519
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
60,519 babies have been named Cecelia since 1880, making it today's #570 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cecelia has been recorded 60,519 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #570 nationally and more common than 97% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #570 among girls today
- 60,519 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cecelia is currently the #570 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 60,519 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #570
- among girls today
- 60,519
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Cecelia vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#570
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1940s
Peak decade
12% of everyone ever named Cecelia was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
935 babies were named Cecelia in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Cecelia compares
60,519 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cecelia's all-time total is 158x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cecelia | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 60,519 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 935 | 48 | 19,840 |
Cecelia's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Cecelia's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 44% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 56%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 47 births recorded -- set against the 1918 peak of 935, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Cecelia at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#570
Active since
1880
Cecelia popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 935
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Cecelia popularity over time - boys
11 total births recorded since 1932 (Cecelia as boys' name)
Cecelia by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1940s was Cecelia's strongest decade.
7,363 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 12% of all-time use.
Cecelia births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 852
1880s
852 births
- 1890s 1,784
1890s
1,784 births
- 1900s 2,793
1900s
2,793 births
- 1910s
1910s
6,905 births
- 1920s
1920s
7,169 births
- 1930s
1930s
4,592 births
- 1940s
1940s
7,363 births
- 1950s
1950s
6,898 births
- 1960s
1960s
3,857 births
- 1970s 1,837
1970s
1,837 births
- 1980s 1,825
1980s
1,825 births
- 1990s 2,446
1990s
2,446 births
- 2000s
2000s
3,654 births
- 2010s
2010s
5,170 births
- 2020s
2020s
3,374 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 7,363 births (12% of all-time use).
How Cecelia compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Cecelia's total volume
Cecelia vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Cecelia by state
Where Cecelia concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 5,743 | 9.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 5,220 | 8.6% |
| #3 | California | | 4,034 | 6.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 2,927 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 2,519 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 2,253 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Texas | | 2,222 | 3.7% |
| #8 | New Jersey | | 1,978 | 3.3% |
Pennsylvania share of Cecelia's total US births 9.5%
Even split
5,743 of 60,519 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Cecelia appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cecelia? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 60,519 babies named Cecelia. Today it holds rank #570 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1918, with 935 births.
When was Cecelia most popular? ▼
Cecelia was most popular in the 1940s decade with 7,363 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Cecelia most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cecelia are Pennsylvania (5,743 births), New York (5,220 births), California (4,034 births).
How long has the name Cecelia been used? ▼
Records for Cecelia go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Cecelia? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cecilia, Cecile, Cecily, Cecil, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Cecelia's data
- Cecelia's usage has stayed within range of its 1940s decade-level peak (7,363 total births) through the 2020s (3,374) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Pennsylvania records the most Cecelias (5,743 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cecelia
Nearby Names Like Cecelia
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cecelia
Cecilia Girl
#123 111,511 births
Cecile Girl
#5616 20,421 births
Cecily Girl
#1602 8,673 births
Cecil Girl
7,687 births
Cecille Girl
984 births
Compare Cecelia side by side: Cecelia vs Cecilia Cecelia vs Cecile Cecelia vs Cecily
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cecelia
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cecelia: #570 Girls' Name - 60,519 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cecelia. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cecelia draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.