Total births
20,421
Girls' name · since 1880
Cecile
Cecile has 20,421 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #5616
- among girls today
- 20,421
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other girls
Cecile currently ranks #5616 among girls' names in America, with 20,421 babies recorded since 1880.
Cecile has 20,421 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5616 as of the latest data, more common than 68% of girls, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #5616 among girls today
- 20,421 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 68% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cecile is currently the #5616 girls' name in America, more common than 68% of girls - 20,421 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #5616
- among girls today
- 20,421
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 68%
- more common than other girls
Cecile vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5616
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 68% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
20% of everyone ever named Cecile was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
495 babies were named Cecile in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Cecile compares
20,421 Top 6% higher than 94% 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
Cecile's all-time total is 53x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cecile | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 20,421 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 495 | 48 | 19,840 |
Cecile's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cecile splits its recorded history at 1953: 19% of all births land in the more recent half, 81% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2023 (16 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 495 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cecile at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#5,616
Active since
1880
Cecile popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 495
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Cecile popularity over time - boys
191 total births recorded since 1915 (Cecile as boys' name)
Cecile by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Cecile's strongest decade.
4,067 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Cecile births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 389
1880s
389 births
- 1890s 1,123
1890s
1,123 births
- 1900s
1900s
1,642 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,613 births
- 1920s
1920s
4,067 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,825 births
- 1940s
1940s
2,396 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,810 births
- 1960s 895
1960s
895 births
- 1970s 335
1970s
335 births
- 1980s 402
1980s
402 births
- 1990s 295
1990s
295 births
- 2000s 262
2000s
262 births
- 2010s 237
2010s
237 births
- 2020s 130
2020s
130 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 4,067 births (20% of all-time use).
How Cecile 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 Cecile's total volume
Cecile vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Cecile by state
Where Cecile concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Massachusetts | | 1,978 | 9.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 1,510 | 7.4% |
| #3 | Louisiana | | 1,443 | 7.1% |
| #4 | Maine | | 1,017 | 5.0% |
| #5 | New Hampshire | | 780 | 3.8% |
| #6 | California | | 743 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Rhode Island | | 613 | 3.0% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 573 | 2.8% |
Massachusetts share of Cecile's total US births 9.7%
Even split
1,978 of 20,421 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Cecile appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cecile? ▼
Cecile has been given to 20,421 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among girls, it ranks #5616 as of the latest data. 495 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
When was Cecile most popular? ▼
Cecile was most popular in the 1920s decade with 4,067 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Cecile most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cecile are Massachusetts (1,978 births), New York (1,510 births), Louisiana (1,443 births).
How long has the name Cecile been used? ▼
Cecile has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Cecile? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cecilia, Cecelia, Cecily, Cecil, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Cecile's data
- Cecile's decade-level peak was the 1920s (4,067 total births); usage has since declined to 130 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Massachusetts records the most Ceciles (1,978 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Massachusetts 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 Cecile
Nearby Names Like Cecile
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cecile
Cecilia Girl
#123 111,511 births
Cecelia Girl
#570 60,519 births
Cecily Girl
#1602 8,673 births
Cecil Girl
7,687 births
Cecille Girl
984 births
Compare Cecile side by side: Cecile vs Cecilia Cecile vs Cecelia Cecile vs Cecily
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cecile
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. "Cecile: #5616 Girls' Name - 20,421 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cecile. 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 Cecile 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.