Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Cecilia f. Latin Caecilia, the feminine form of a Roman gens name which may derive from Latin caecus 'blind'.

The name of an enormously popular medieval saint, the patron saint of music, one of eight women commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.

The English diminutives Cys and Cyssot are witnessed in 1379 in the relational bynames Cyssoñ (WRYPT1 p. 131) and Cyssotsoñ (WRYPT1 p. 133).

Belgium
Dutch
1597x1598 Cecilia BoonenGes p. 373, Cecilie ibid. p. 324
Brabant
Latin
1312 Cecilia (nom) JeanIII p. 28
England
Latin
1185x1186 Cecilia (nom) PR-XXXVI p. 18; 1189 Cecilia (nom) GASurv p. 178; 1222 Cecilia (nom) StPaulDom p. 4, Sicilia (nom) ibid. p. 45; 1240 Cecilia (nom) ibid. p. 119; 1279–80 Cecilia (nom) WaHR-SK p. 36, Cecilie (gen) ibid. p. 27; 1296 Cecilia (nom) RCS-1 p. 95a, Cecilie (gen) ibid. p. 95a; 1319 Cecilia (nom) PSS-CXIV 5a, Ceciliam (acc) ibid. 5b, Cecilie (gen) ibid. 5a; 1322 Cecilia (nom) ibid. 7; 1326 Cecilie (gen) ibid. 13; 1340xc1450 Cecilia (nom) CovGuild-1 p. 6, Cecilicia (nom) ibid. p. 36, Cesilia (nom) ibid. p. 66, Cicilia (nom) ibid. p. 40; 1377 Cecilia (nom) FenPT-2 p. 4; 1379 Cecilia (nom) WRYPT1 p. 2, Cicelia (nom) ibid. p. 15, Cicilia (nom) ibid. p. 15, Ciscilia (nom) ibid. p. 14, Cissilia (nom) ibid. p. 16; 1381 Ceceli (nom) FenPT-2 p. 10, Cecilia (nom) ibid. p. 9, Suffolk1381 p. 69, Cicilla (nom) FenPT-2 p. 6, Cissilia (nom) Suffolk1381 p. 73; 1408 Cecilia (nom) GCCYork p.12; 1431 Ceciliæ (dat) WillsInv æ; 1440 Ciciliæ (dat) ibid. LI; 1555 Cecilia (nom) StMartF p. 58; 1559 Cecilia (nom) ibid. p. 59; 1560 Cecilia (nom) ibid. p. 60; 1561 Sicilia (nom) Reg-KirkElla p. 2; 1563 Cicilia (nom) ibid. p. 4; 1563/4 Cicilia (nom) ibid. p. 4; 1565 Cicilia (nom) RegSoAMar p. 4; 1567/8 Cicilia (nom) Reg-KirkElla p. 6; 1572/3 Cicilia (nom) ibid. p. 8; 1587 Sicelia (nom) RegBeb p. 118; 1590 Sicilia (nom) ibid. p. 31; 1591/2 Siceliae (gen) ibid. p. 32
1379 Cissota (nom) WRYPT1 p. 16, Cyssot (nom) ibid. p. 7, Sissot' (nom) ibid. p. 16
Dutch
1573 Cecilia AuFr Noorman; 1580 Cecilie ibid. p. 89
Middle English
1424–25 Cecile EEW p. 56; 1425 Cecile ibid. p. 63; 1426 Cisily ibid. p. 70; 1436 Cicile ibid. p. 106
Early Modern English
1530 Cecile LIWill-III p. 31, Cecill ibid. p. 79, Cecily ibid. p. 57, Secily ibid. p. 10; 1540 Syslyth BarnstapleBap p. 1; 1543 Cisley StAnthonlin p. 4; 1544 Syslyeth BarnstapleBap p. 4; 1545 Ciseley BEmar-vol1 p. 3; 1546 Syslyth BarnstapleBap p. 5; 1548 Sisly StAnthonlin p. 6; 1549 Cyseley BEmar-vol1 p. 3, Sisly StAnthonlin p. 8; 1555 Syslyth BarnstapleBap p. 9; 1558 Cicelye RegBeb p. 1; 1559 Ciceli bruton1 p. 30, Cicelie ibid. p. 30; 1560 Cicyly SaxhamSf p. 56; 1562 Sisley StAnthonlin p. 14; 1563 Sicely RegBeb p. 5; 1569 Cicely BEmar-vol2 p. 95, Sicilia RegSoAMar p. 6; 1570 Cicely bruton1 p. 5; 1571 Cicely BUmar-vol9 p. 5, Cicile RegPat p. 31; 1574 Sicelie RegBeb p. 15, Sicely ibid. p. 14, Sicelye RegSoAMar p. 7; 1575 Sicelye RegBeb p. 15; 1576/7 Cicilie RegPat p. 2; 1576 Sicely RegBeb p. 16; 1578 Sisley OrpingtonKe p. 5; 1579 Sisley ibid. p. 5; 1580 Cicelie bruton1 p. 44, Cicilie RegPat p. 2; 1581? Sisilye COmar-vol5 p. 127; 1584 Sisly DEmar-vol2 p. 10; 1585/6 Cislie BEmar-vol1 p. 12; 1586/7 Cyssell RegBath p. 7; 1586 Sisly DEmar-vol2 p. 12; 1587 Sicely RegSoAMar p. 13; 1588 Sessellye Bar-in-El p. 14; 1589 Sicely RegSoAMar p. 14, Sisily COmar-vol5 p. 128, Sisley WAmar-1 p. 132; 1590 Sisly DEmar-vol2 p. 22, StAnthonlin p. 34; 1591 Cysly ibid. p. 35; 1592 Cicely BUmar-vol9 p. 8, Cyssell RegBath p. 9; 1595 Cicelie bruton1 p. 54; 1595/6 Cicilie RegPat p. 5; 1595 Sysle BUmar-vol1 p. 27; 1596 Cicely DEmar-vol2 p. 34, Cislye HAmar-vol9 p. 3, Sicelea BUmar-vol2 p. 66; 1597 Cicelie bruton1 p. 11, Cicilie RegPat p. 113, Sisley DEmar-vol2 p. 36; 1598 Cicely BUmar-vol9 p. 10, Sicely RegSoAMar p. 19, Sisley COmar-vol2 p. 50, Sisly DEmar-vol2 p. 39, Sislye ibid. p. 37; 1599 Cicilie bruton1 p. 57, Seccely BEmar-vol2 p. 4
1563 Ciceletam BUmar-vol2 p. 60; 1569 Cicelet ibid. p. 61
Middle French
1567 Cicile WCS p. 83; 1569 Cisille ibid. p. 39; 1570 Cicille ibid. p. 40; 1572 Cicille ibid. p. 41; 1573 Cecille ibid. p. 85; 1582 Cicille ibid. p. 17; 1583 Cicile ibid. p. 17; 1584 Cicile ibid. p. 104; 1588 Cicille ibid. p. 48; 1596 Cicille ibid. p. 106
Walloon
1583/4 Cicille RWC p. 8
France
Latin
1180 Cecilie (gen) RotScaNor p. 3
Middle French
1564 Cécille RegPCC-1 p. 65; 1565 Cecille ibid. p. 171; 1566 Cicile ibid. p. 267; 1587 Cecille RTFProvins 11
Italy
Latin
1348 Cecilia (nom) INP 26; 1450 Ciciliam (acc) VitAs2 VIII, Cicilie (gen) ibid. VIII; 1527 Cicilia (nom) Rome1527 p. 88
Italian
1513x1521 Cecilia LeoX p. 30
Spain
Catalan
1510 Sicilia valencia1510 3214
Sweden
Latin
1350 Cecilie (dat) SDHK no. 6037
Early Modern Swedish
1543 Cicell (nom) Audén1980 p. 162
Switzerland
Latin
14thCx1478 Cicillia (nom) Ob-SPVn (54)
Wales
Early Modern English
1571 Cissill RegLlantrithyd p. 61; 1577 Cissill ibid. p. 61; 1591 Cissill ibid. p. 35; 1592 Cissill ibid. p. 34; 1594 Cissill ibid. p. 62; 1597 Cissill ibid. p. 1; 1598 Cissill ibid. p. 1; 1599 Cissill ibid. p. 1
Cite as: A. Brown, R. Le Get, N. Shiel, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Cecilia". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Cecilia.