Cecelia

  • [ sə-SEE-lee-ə, sə-SEEL-yə ]
  • English
Variant of CECILIA.

CECILIA   female   English, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Dutch, German
Latinate feminine form of the Roman family name Caecilius, which was derived from Latin caecus "blind". Saint Cecilia was a semi-legendary 2nd- or 3rd-century martyr who was sentenced to die because she refused to worship the Roman gods. After attempts to suffocate her failed, she was beheaded. She was later regarded as the patron saint of music and musicians.

Due to the popularity of the saint, the name became common in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans brought it to England, where it was commonly spelled Cecily - the Latinate form Cecilia came into use in the 18th century.
EQUIVALENTS
ANCIENT ROMAN: Caecilia
CROATIAN: Cecilija
CZECH: Cecílie, Cecilie
DANISH: Cecilia, Cecilie
DUTCH: Cécile, Cecilia
ENGLISH: Cecilia, Cecily, Cicely, Shayla, Sheelagh, Sheila, Shelagh, Shelia, Shyla
FINNISH: Cecilia
FRENCH: Cécile
GERMAN: Cäcilia, Cäcilie, Caecilia, Cecilia
HUNGARIAN: Cecília
IRISH: Sheila, Síle
ITALIAN: Cecilia
NORWEGIAN: Cecilia, Cecilie
POLISH: Cecylia
PORTUGUESE: Cecília
RUSSIAN: Tsetsiliya
SCOTTISH: Sìleas
SLOVAK: Cecília
SLOVENE: Cecilija
SPANISH: Cecilia
SWEDISH: Cecilia
DIMINUTIVES AND SHORT FORMS
CROATIAN: Cila
DANISH: Cille, Silje, Sille
DUTCH: Cilla, Silke
ENGLISH: Cece, Celia, Cissy, Sissie, Sissy
FINNISH: Silja
GERMAN: Silke, Zilla
HUNGARIAN: Cili
NORWEGIAN: Silje
SLOVENE: Cila, Cilka
SWEDISH: Cilla
MASCULINE FORMS
ANCIENT ROMAN: Caecilius
ENGLISH: Cecil
ITALIAN: Cecilio
PORTUGUESE: Cecilio
SPANISH: Cecilio