Cecil

Did you know?

A few things about Cecil you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Cecil

Cecil Frank Powell

British physicist

Choose Cecil and your child shares a first name with Cecil Frank Powell, a British physicist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Cecil, like who?” Cecil Frank Powell's Wikipedia article is available in 73 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Cecil Frank Powell on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Nobel foundation, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 14,347 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Cecil, 119 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Cecil would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCecil has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Cecils, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1902, when it ranked #65. Today it's #1,486, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🚀TrendCecil has climbed 161 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #1,486. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedCecil is most popular in Arkansas, where it ranks #555, followed by Missouri (#709) and Tennessee (#777). It's in the top 1,000 in 5 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Latin, Cecil means “blind”.

About the name Cecil

Cecil is a boy name of Latin origin meaning “blind”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-cil”. US birth records list Cecil for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1902, when it ranked #65 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,486, with 119 babies.

Origin:Latin names