Cecilia

See also: Cecília, Cécilia, and Cecilía

English

Etymology

From Latin Caecilia, feminine form of Caecilius, a Roman family name possibly derived from the byname caecus (“blind”). Popularized by Saint Cecilia, third century Roman martyr, the patron saint of music. Doublet of Sheila.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɪˈsiːli.ə/, /sɪˈsɪli.ə/
• Rhymes: -iːliə

Proper noun

Cecilia

1. A female given name from Latin.
   • 1694, Joseph Addison, A Song for St. Cecilia's Day:

     Hark how the flutes and trumpets raise / At bright Cecilia's name, their lays!

   • 1854, Charles Dickens, “Book I, Chapter II”, in Hard Times. For These Times, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], →OCLC:

     ‘Sissy is not a name,’ said Mr. Gradgrind. ‘Don’t call yourself Sissy. Call yourself Cecilia.’ ‘It’s father as calls me Sissy, sir,’ returned the young girl in a trembling voice, and with another curtsey. ‘Then he has no business to do it,’ said Mr. Gradgrind. ‘Tell him he mustn’t. Cecilia Jupe. Let me see. What is your father?’

   • 1928, Lynn Montross, “Silent Minstrel”, in American Magazine, volume 106, page 14:

     Because they had named her Cecilia, her parents fancied that the matter of her life and character had been fairly well settled. She would, of course, be quiet and pale and mystical, like the saint whose picture hung above the old upright piano in the Kirby living-room.

Related terms

• (pet forms): Sissy, Ceecee, CeeCee, Cici, Ceci
• (variants): Cecelia, Cecile, Cecily, Cicely
• (male form): Cecil
• (related names): Sheila (alternate spellings: Sheela, Sheelagh, Shelagh, Sheilagh, Sile), Celia (often regarded as a short form of Cecilia)

Translations

female given name

• Breton: Aziliz (br) f
• Carpathian Rusyn: Цеці́лія f (Cecílija)
• Catalan: Cecília (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 塞西莉亞／塞西莉亚 (Sàixīlìyà)

• Czech: Cecílie (cs) f
• Danish: Cecilie c
• Esperanto: Cecilia
• Estonian: Silja
• Faroese: Silja f
• Finnish: Silja (fi)
• French: Cécile (fr) f
• Galician: Icía (gl) f
• German: Cäcilie f
• Greek: Καικιλία (el) f (Kaikilía)
• Hawaiian: Kikilia
• Hungarian: Cecília (hu)
• Irish: Síle f, Sisile f
• Italian: Cecilia (it) f
• Latin: Caecilia f, Cæcilia f (alternate with the “æ” ligature)
• Manx: Kial f, Kickle f, Sheelagh f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: Cecilie (no) f

  Bokmål: Cecilie f

• Occitan: Celha f, Ceselha f, Cecília f
• Polish: Cecylia (pl) f
• Portuguese: Cecília (pt) f
• Russian: Сеси́лия (ru) f (Sesílija), Цеци́лия (ru) f (Cecílija)
• Scottish Gaelic: Sìle f, Sìleas f
• Slovak: Cecília f
• Spanish: Cecilia (es) f
• Swedish: Cecilia (sv) c

See also

• Celia (“Latin: Caelia, from Caelius, probably from caelum (“heaven”)”)

Finnish

Etymology

From Swedish Cecilia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsesi(ː)liɑ/, [ˈs̠e̞s̠i(ː)ˌliɑ̝]

Proper noun

Cecilia

1. a female given name

Declension

Inflection of Cecilia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		Cecilia	Ceciliat
genitive		Cecilian	Cecilioiden Cecilioitten
partitive		Ceciliaa	Cecilioita
illative		Ceciliaan	Cecilioihin
		singular	plural
nominative		Cecilia	Ceciliat
accusative	nom.	Cecilia	Ceciliat
	gen.	Cecilian
genitive		Cecilian	Cecilioiden Cecilioitten Ceciliainrare
partitive		Ceciliaa	Cecilioita
inessive		Ceciliassa	Cecilioissa
elative		Ceciliasta	Cecilioista
illative		Ceciliaan	Cecilioihin
adessive		Cecilialla	Cecilioilla
ablative		Cecilialta	Cecilioilta
allative		Cecilialle	Cecilioille
essive		Ceciliana	Cecilioina
translative		Ceciliaksi	Cecilioiksi
abessive		Ceciliatta	Cecilioitta
instructive		—	Cecilioin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of Cecilia (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Ceciliani Ceciliani accusative nom. Ceciliani Ceciliani gen. Ceciliani genitive Ceciliani Cecilioideni Cecilioitteni Ceciliainirare partitive Ceciliaani Cecilioitani inessive Ceciliassani Cecilioissani elative Ceciliastani Cecilioistani illative Ceciliaani Cecilioihini adessive Ceciliallani Cecilioillani ablative Cecilialtani Cecilioiltani allative Cecilialleni Cecilioilleni essive Cecilianani Cecilioinani translative Ceciliakseni Cecilioikseni abessive Ceciliattani Cecilioittani instructive — — comitative — Cecilioineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative Ceciliasi Ceciliasi accusative nom. Ceciliasi Ceciliasi gen. Ceciliasi genitive Ceciliasi Cecilioidesi Cecilioittesi Ceciliaisirare partitive Ceciliaasi Cecilioitasi inessive Ceciliassasi Cecilioissasi elative Ceciliastasi Cecilioistasi illative Ceciliaasi Cecilioihisi adessive Ceciliallasi Cecilioillasi ablative Cecilialtasi Cecilioiltasi allative Ceciliallesi Cecilioillesi essive Cecilianasi Cecilioinasi translative Ceciliaksesi Cecilioiksesi abessive Ceciliattasi Cecilioittasi instructive — — comitative — Cecilioinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Ceciliamme Ceciliamme accusative nom. Ceciliamme Ceciliamme gen. Ceciliamme genitive Ceciliamme Cecilioidemme Cecilioittemme Ceciliaimmerare partitive Ceciliaamme Cecilioitamme inessive Ceciliassamme Cecilioissamme elative Ceciliastamme Cecilioistamme illative Ceciliaamme Cecilioihimme adessive Ceciliallamme Cecilioillamme ablative Cecilialtamme Cecilioiltamme allative Ceciliallemme Cecilioillemme essive Cecilianamme Cecilioinamme translative Ceciliaksemme Cecilioiksemme abessive Ceciliattamme Cecilioittamme instructive — — comitative — Cecilioinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative Cecilianne Cecilianne accusative nom. Cecilianne Cecilianne gen. Cecilianne genitive Cecilianne Cecilioidenne Cecilioittenne Ceciliainnerare partitive Ceciliaanne Cecilioitanne inessive Ceciliassanne Cecilioissanne elative Ceciliastanne Cecilioistanne illative Ceciliaanne Cecilioihinne adessive Ceciliallanne Cecilioillanne ablative Cecilialtanne Cecilioiltanne allative Ceciliallenne Cecilioillenne essive Ceciliananne Cecilioinanne translative Ceciliaksenne Cecilioiksenne abessive Ceciliattanne Cecilioittanne instructive — — comitative — Cecilioinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative Ceciliansa Ceciliansa accusative nom. Ceciliansa Ceciliansa gen. Ceciliansa genitive Ceciliansa Cecilioidensa Cecilioittensa Ceciliainsarare partitive Ceciliaansa Cecilioitaan Cecilioitansa inessive Ceciliassaan Ceciliassansa Cecilioissaan Cecilioissansa elative Ceciliastaan Ceciliastansa Cecilioistaan Cecilioistansa illative Ceciliaansa Cecilioihinsa adessive Ceciliallaan Ceciliallansa Cecilioillaan Cecilioillansa ablative Cecilialtaan Cecilialtansa Cecilioiltaan Cecilioiltansa allative Cecilialleen Ceciliallensa Cecilioilleen Cecilioillensa essive Cecilianaan Cecilianansa Cecilioinaan Cecilioinansa translative Ceciliakseen Ceciliaksensa Cecilioikseen Cecilioiksensa abessive Ceciliattaan Ceciliattansa Cecilioittaan Cecilioittansa instructive — — comitative — Cecilioineen Cecilioinensa

Statistics

• Cecilia is the 329^th most common female given name in Finland, belonging to 1,375 female individuals (and as a middle name to 3,619 more, making it more common as a middle name), according to February 2023 data from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency of Finland.

German

Proper noun

Cecilia

1. a female given name, variant of Cäcilia

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃeˈt͡ʃi.lja/
• Rhymes: -ilja
• Hyphenation: Ce‧cì‧lia

Proper noun

Cecilia f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Cecilia

Anagrams

• celiaci, ciecali

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /θeˈθilja/ [θeˈθi.lja]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /seˈsilja/ [seˈsi.lja]
• Rhymes: -ilja
• Syllabification: Ce‧ci‧lia

Proper noun

Cecilia f

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Cecilia

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin saint's name Caecilia. First recorded in Sweden in the 12th century.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Proper noun

Cecilia c (genitive Cecilias)

1. a female given name, equivalent to English Cecilia

References

• Roland Otterbjörk: Svenska förnamn, Almqvist & Wiksell 1996, →ISBN
• [1] Statistiska centralbyrån and Sture Allén, Staffan Wåhlin, Förnamnsboken, Norstedts 1995, →ISBN: 63 761 females with the given name Cecilia living in Sweden on December 31st, 2010, with the frequency peak in the 1970s. Accessed on 19 June 2011.