NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Cece

Diminutive English feminine name meaning "blind" or "sightless.".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Cece is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Cece popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #751, with 50 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 54 births.

This profile covers 416 England and Wales registrations across 17 recorded years from 2005 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 93% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 420 living people in the UK are called Cece. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Cece ranked #751 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 50 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2021, when 54 girls were registered as Cece.
  • Cece ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #790 in 2024.
  • About 420 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cece as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#751

2024

Births in 2024

50

Latest year

Peak year

2021

54 births

Estimated living

420

2026

Meaning

What does Cece mean?

Cece is a name with roots that can be traced back to ancient Rome and Greece. It is believed to have originated from the Latin name Caecilia, which itself is derived from the Roman family name Caecilius. The name Caecilia is thought to have roots in the Greek word "kaikos," meaning "blind" or "unseeing."

In ancient Roman times, Caecilia was the name of a young Christian martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD. According to legend, she was martyred for her faith under the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Her story and name gained widespread recognition within the early Christian church, leading to the name's popularity across Europe.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cece can be found in the 12th-century poem "The Life of Saint Cecilia" by the French poet and churchman Adhemar of Chabannes. This work helped further popularize the name among Christian communities in medieval Europe.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Cece or variations of it. One of the most famous was Cece Peniston (1969-), an American singer-songwriter known for her hit singles in the 1990s, including "Finally" and "We Got a Love Thang."

Another well-known figure was Cece Michaelis (1887-1970), an American actress and dancer who performed in vaudeville and on Broadway during the early 20th century. She was particularly renowned for her work in the Ziegfeld Follies revues.

In the realm of sports, Cece Lopes (1963-) was a professional tennis player from South Africa who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 9 in the world in 1986. She won multiple singles titles on the WTA Tour and represented her country in several Grand Slam tournaments.

The name Cece has also been associated with notable figures in literature, such as Cece Bell (1970-), an American author and illustrator best known for her children's book "El Deafo," which was awarded the prestigious Newbery Honor in 2015.

Lastly, Cece Condray (1912-2004) was an American engineer and business executive who played a significant role in the development of early television technology. She worked for various companies, including RCA and General Electric, and held several patents related to TV broadcasting.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Cece over time

The chart below shows babies named Cece registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2005 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Cece, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 50 births in 2024, compared with 54 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Cece
014274154200520142024

Decades

Cece by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cece was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #795 236 5
2010s #1947 167 9
2000s #4413 13 3

Geography

Where Cece is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Cece. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Cece ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #790 in 2024.

Scotland
3

Across the UK

Cece in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#790 in 2024

2 years of NRS records, 6 total registered

Related

Names similar to Cece

FAQ

Cece: questions and answers

How popular is the name Cece in the UK right now?

In 2024, Cece was ranked #751 for girls in England and Wales, with 50 births registered.

When was Cece most popular?

The peak year on record was 2021, with 54 babies registered as Cece in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Cece?

Diminutive English feminine name meaning "blind" or "sightless.".

How many people are called Cece in the UK?

A total of 416 babies have been registered as Cece across the 17 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 6 more in Scotland.

Where is Cece most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Cece ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #790 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.