Cecilia

Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music.

For other uses, see Cecilia (disambiguation).
Cecilia
Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians.
Pronunciation/sɪˈsɪliə, -ˈsiːl-/ siss-IL-ee-ə, -⁠EEL-
GenderFemale
Name dayNovember 22
Origin
Word/nameLatin
Other names
Nickname(s)Celia, Ceci, Cece, Celie
Related namesCecelia, Celia, Celina, Sille

History

The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for girls born that year), and the United States, where it has ranked among the top 500 names for girls for more than 100 years. It also ranked among the top 100 names for girls born in Sweden in the early years of the 21st century, and was formerly popular in France.[1]

The name "Cecilia" applied generally to Roman women who belonged to the plebeian clan of the Caecilii. Legends and hagiographies, mistaking it for a personal name, suggest fanciful etymologies. Among those cited by Chaucer in "The Second Nun's Tale" are: lily of heaven, the way for the blind, contemplation of heaven and the active life, as if lacking in blindness, and a heaven for people to gaze upon.[2]

People

See also

References
  1. Behind the Name
  2. Chaucer, Canterbury Tales, The Second Nun's Tale, prologue, 85–119. As the rubric to these lines declare, the nun draws her etymologies from the Legenda Aurea of Jacobus de Voragine (Jacobus Januensis - James of Genoa - in the rubric).
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