Cecil

Meaning: Its source is Seissylt, an Old Welsh name meaning "The sixth child."

In French, this name is spelled with an accent -- Cécil.

Origin: "Seissylt."

Languages: This boy's name is used in English and French.

Feminine Forms: Cecilia

Non-English Forms: Cecilio and Cecyl

Source Forms: Seissylt

Popularity: The name Cecil ranked 214th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

This name is highly rated in the 1990 U.S. Census popularity survey of all ages, but after 1960 does not appear in the state data listing the most popular baby names.

Narrative: Another possible source for this name (and a likely source of its European equivalents) is the Latin word caecus, meaning ''blind.'' This was the root of the ancient Roman family name Caecilius, ancestor to the modern girls' names Cecilia and Cecily, which are often considered female equivalents of Cecil.

However, Cecil was first used as an English surname by an aristocratic family of Welsh extraction. Thus, the English Cecil's relationship to the Latin term is probably a coincidence.

Arts and Music

Cecil Taylor (born 1933)
American jazz musician.
- Pianist and composer (see list of Critics' Picks for the Jazz Hall of Fame)

Leadership

Cecil Rhodes (born 1853, died 1902)
British financier and statesman. Rhodesia and the Rhodes scholarships (which he endowed) are named for him.
- Represented British imperial interests in South Africa (see list of Miscellaneous Political Leaders)

Science and Philosophy

Cecil F. Powell (born 1903, died 1969)
British physicist who used photographic methods to study nuclear processes.
- 1950 Nobel Prize winner in Physics (see list of Winners of the Nobel Prize for Physics)

Sports

Cecil ''Babe'' Dye
Hockey player.
- 1923, 1925 Art Ross Trophy winner (see list of Art Ross Trophy Winners)
J. Cecil Parke
- 1912 Australian Open tennis champion (see list of Australian Open Tennis Champions)

Stage and Screen

Cecil Brown (born 1907, died 1987)
American jounalist and broadcaster.
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio (see list of Radio Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
Cecil B. DeMille (born 1881, died 1959)
American director and producer.
- On Hollywood''s Footprints of Fame (see list of Celebrities Honored by Mann's Chinese Theater)
- Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Picture (see list of Movie Personalities with Stars in the Hollywood Walk of Fame)
Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent
Fictional character.
- From ''''Matty''s Funday Funnies'''' (see list of Cartoon characters)

The Literary World

Cecil Day Lewis (born 1904, died 1972)
English poet.
- Poet Laureate of England, 1967-72 (see list of English Poets Laureate)
Cecil Vyse
Fictional character
- Lucy''s snobby suitor in E. M. Forster''s novel, Room with a View (see list of Characters from the Classics)