Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...

, the patron saint of music.

History

The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for girls born that year), and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, 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 Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in the early years of the 21st century, and was formerly popular in France. 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.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).

People

, 2nd century virgin martyr and patron saint of musicians and church music * Cecilia of Normandy (died 1126), thought to be the daughter of William the Conqueror * Cecilia (royal mistress) (died after 1459), royal mistress and later morganatic wife of Eric of Pomerania, king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden * Princess Cecilia of Sweden (1540–1627) * Princess Cecilia of Sweden (1807–1844) * Cecilia (Norwegian singer), Spanish singer-songwriter Evangelina Sobredo Galanes (born 1967) * Cecilia Angmadlok Angutialuk (born 1938), Canadian Inuk artist * Cecilia Arizti (1856-1930), Cuban composer, pianist and music educator. * Cécilia Attias (born 1957), former First Lady of France, ex-wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy * Cecilia Bartoli (born 1966), Italian mezzo-soprano * Cecilia Beaux (1855–1942), American society portrait painter * Cecilia Bolocco (born 1965), Chilean television entertainer, former Miss Universe 1987 and former wife of ex-Argentine president Carlos Menem * Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (1862–1938), British aristocrat and grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II * Cecilia Calderón Prieto (born 1949), Ecuadorian economist * Cecilia LW Chan, Chinese social scientist * Cecilia Cheung (born 1980), Hong Kong singer and actress * Cecilia Colledge (1920–2008), British figure skater * Cecilia Curbelo (born 1975), Uruguayan writer * Cecilia Dalman Eek (born 1960), Swedish politician * Cecilia Damström, Finnish composer * Cecilia Danieli (1943–1999), Italian entrepreneur and industrialist * Cecília Dassi (born 1989), Brazilian actress * Cecilia Dazzi (born 1969), Italian actress, television personality and songwriter * Cecilia D'Elia (born 1963), Italian politician * Cecilia Eusepi (1910–1928), Italian beatified Roman Catholic * Cecilia Flores Armenta, Mexican missing persons activist * Cecilia Gallerani (1473–1536), favourite and most celebrated mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan * Cecilia Gasdia (born 1960), Italian soprano * Cecilia Gillie (1907–1996), English radio executive * Cecilia Grierson (1859–1934), Argentine physician and activist * Cecilia Hart (1948–2016), American actress * Cecilia Cacabelos (born 1958; disappeared 1976), Argentine student taken by Argentine security forces * Cecilia Johansdotter of Sweden (), Queen Consort of King Canute I of Sweden * Cecilia Julin (born 1955), Swedish diplomat * Cecilia Keaveney (born 1968), Irish politician * Cecília Malan (born 1983), Brazilian journalist * Cecilia Malmström (born 1968), Swedish politician * Cecilia Mangini (1927–2021), Italian film director * Cecilia Suyat Marshall (1928–2022), American civil rights activist and historian * Cecília Meireles (1901–1964), Brazilian writer, educator and poet * Cecília Meireles (politician) (born 1977), Portuguese politician and lawyer * Cecilia Moens, Canadian developmental biologist * Cecilia Morel (born 1954), Chilean First Lady, wife of President Sebastián Piñera * Cecilia Muñoz (born 1962), Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House * Cecilia Noël (), Peruvian-born Latin music artist * Cecilia Nilsson (actress) (born 1957), Swedish actress * Cecilia Nilsson (athlete) (born 1979), Swedish retired hammer thrower * Cecilia Nilsson (orienteer) (born 1966), Swedish orienteering competitor * Cecilia Pantoja (1943–2023), better known as Cecilia, Chilean singer songwriter * Cecilia Parker (1914–1993), Canadian actress * Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979), English-American astronomer * Cecilia Peters, Australian actor * Cecilia Requena (born 1967), Bolivian politician * Cecilia Rich, American politician * Cecilia Soria (born 1991), Argentine politician * Cecilia Strzyzowksi (1994–2023), Argentine murder victim * Cecilia Suárez (born 1971), Mexican actress * Cecilia Tan (born 1967), American writer * Cecilia Young (1712–1789), English soprano * Cecilia Heyes, British psychologist

Fictional characters

* Cecilia Reyes, a fictional character in

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

References

{{given name Italian feminine given names Feminine given names English feminine given names Latin feminine given names

History

People

Fictional characters

See also

References