Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia ( la, Sancta Caecilia), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman virgin martyr and is venerated in Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the patroness of music and musicians, i ...

, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...

of music. 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 Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

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

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, 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. The name "Cecilia" applied generally to Roman women who belonged to the

plebeian In ancient Rome, the plebeians (also called plebs) were the general body of free Roman citizens who were not patricians, as determined by the census, or in other words "commoners". Both classes were hereditary. Etymology The precise origins o ...

clan of the Caecilii. Legends and hagiographies, mistaking it for a personal name, suggest fanciful etymologies. Among those cited by

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

in " The Second Nun's Tale" are: lily of heaven, the way for the blind, contemplation of

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the bel ...

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 * Princess Cecilia of Sweden (1540–1627) * Princess Cecilia of Sweden (1807–1844) * Cecilia of Normandy (died 1126), thought to be the daughter of William the Conqueror * Cecilia (Norwegian singer) (born 1967) * Cecilia (royal mistress) (d. after 1459), royal mistress and later morganatic wife of Eric of Pomerania, king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden * Cecilia (Spanish singer) (1948–1976) * Cécilia Attias (born 1957), former First Lady of France, ex-wife of President Nicolas Sarkozy * Cecilia Bartoli (born 1966), Italian mezzo-soprano *

Cecilia Beaux Eliza Cecilia Beaux (May 1, 1855 – September 17, 1942) was an American society portraitist, whose subjects included First Lady Edith Roosevelt, Admiral Sir David Beatty and Georges Clemenceau. Trained in Philadelphia, she went on to study in ...

(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 (1862–1938), British aristocrat and grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II * 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 * Cecilia D'Elia (born 1963), Italian politician * 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 Johansdotter of Sweden (fl. 1193), Queen Consort of King Canute I of Sweden * Cecilia Keaveney (born 1968), Irish politician *

Cecilia Malmström Anna Cecilia Malmström (born 15 May 1968) is a Swedish politician who served as European Commissioner for Trade from 2014 to 2019. She previously served as European Commissioner for Home Affairs from 2010 to 2014 and Minister for European ...

(born 1968), Swedish politician * Cecilia Mangini (1927–2021), Italian film director * Cecilia Suyat Marshall (1928–2022), American civil rights activist and historian *

Cecilia Moens Cecilia Moens is a Canadian developmental biologist. Moens is part of the faculty at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, where she researches the vertebrate brain using zebrafish as a model organism. Early life ...

, 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 (born c. 1960s), wife and co-performer of Men at Work singer Colin Hay * Cecilia Nilsson (athlete) (born 1979), Swedish hammer thrower * Cecilia Pantoja (born 1943), better known as Cecilia, Chilean singer songwriter * Cecilia Parker (1914–1993), Canadian actress * Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979), English-American astronomer * Cecilia Rich, American politician * Cecilia Suárez (born 1971), Mexican actress *

Cecilia Tan Cecilia Tan (born April 8, 1967) is a writer, editor, sexuality activist, and founder of Circlet Press, the first press devoted primarily to erotic science fiction and fantasy. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She also writes about base ...

(born 1967), American writer * Cecilia Young (1712–1789), English soprano

References

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

People

See also

References