Unisex name · since 1880
Cecil
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 106,989 babies named Cecil, peaking in 1920. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #298 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,486 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 106,989
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
106,989 babies have been named Cecil since 1880, making it today's #1486 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Cecil recorded 106,989 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #1486 nationally today, ahead of 89% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #298 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,486 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 106,989 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cecil ranks #298 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,486 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 106,989 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #298 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,486 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 106,989
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Cecil's 106,989 recorded births place it above 99.34% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Cecil compares
106,989 Top 3% higher than 97% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Cecil's all-time total is 290x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cecil | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 106,989 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,459 | 34 | 22,252 |
Cecil's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cecil splits its recorded history at 1953: 25% of all births land in the more recent half, 75% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1881 (35 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 2,459 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cecil popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 2,459
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Cecil popularity over time - girls
7,687 total births recorded since 1880 (Cecil as girls' name)
Cecil by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (22,528 births, 21% of the file).
1920s was Cecil's strongest decade.
22,528 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Cecil births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 705
1880s
705 births
- 1890s 1,808
1890s
1,808 births
- 1900s 3,610
1900s
3,610 births
- 1910s
1910s
15,987 births
- 1920s
1920s
22,528 births
- 1930s
1930s
16,482 births
- 1940s
1940s
14,837 births
- 1950s
1950s
12,003 births
- 1960s 7,430
1960s
7,430 births
- 1970s 4,181
1970s
4,181 births
- 1980s 2,930
1980s
2,930 births
- 1990s 1,700
1990s
1,700 births
- 2000s 1,094
2000s
1,094 births
- 2010s 1,011
2010s
1,011 births
- 2020s 683
2020s
683 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 22,528 births (21% of all-time use).
How Cecil compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Cecil's total volume
Cecil by state
Where Cecil concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 9,730 | 9.1% |
| #2 | Alabama | | 5,713 | 5.3% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 5,526 | 5.2% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 5,515 | 5.2% |
| #5 | Kentucky | | 5,468 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Oklahoma | | 4,698 | 4.4% |
| #7 | Virginia | | 4,654 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Tennessee | | 4,493 | 4.2% |
9,730 of 106,989 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Cecil appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cecil? ▼
Where does Cecil sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Cecil most popular? ▼
Where is Cecil most popular? ▼
Is Cecil a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Cecil been used? ▼
What names are similar to Cecil? ▼
What to do with Cecil's data
- Cecil's decade-level peak was the 1920s (22,528 total births); usage has since declined to 683 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Cecils (9,730 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cecil
Nearby Names Like Cecil
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cecil
Compare Cecil side by side: Cecil vs Cecilio Cecil vs Cecile Cecil vs Cecilia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cecil
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cecil: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1920)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 Cecil 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 August 2026.