girls' name ★ peaked 1915

Celia

Meaning heaven Gender Girl Rank 2025 #774 Trend ↑ Rising 17%

Borrowed from Latin Caelia, feminine of Roman family name Caelius, probably from caelum (“heaven”).

Rank 2025
#774
among girls · ↓39 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
351
named Celia · -8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,579
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1915
853 babies
All-time total
56,716
#542 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Celia popularity over time

56,716 babies have been named Celia since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 1,363 – 1,363 136 – #141
1890s 2,373 – 2,373 237 +74% #158
1900s 2,971 – 2,971 297 +25% #167
1910s 6,559 – 6,559 656 +121% #169
1920s 6,352 18 6,370 637 -3% #242
1930s 4,349 41 4,390 439 -31% #265
1940s 4,231 – 4,231 423 -4% #327
1950s 5,600 – 5,600 560 +32% #320
1960s 3,881 – 3,881 388 -31% #415
1970s 2,442 5 2,447 245 -37% #531
1980s 3,477 10 3,487 349 +43% #424
1990s 3,540 – 3,540 354 +2% #589
2000s 3,987 – 3,987 399 +13% #594
2010s 3,425 – 3,425 343 -14% #740
2020s (to 2025) 2,092 – 2,092 349 +2% #735

Where Celia is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 361 0.22 outside top 500
2027 370 0.23 outside top 500
2028 378 0.24 outside top 500
2029 385 0.24 outside top 500
2030 391 0.24 outside top 500

Where Celia is most popular

Girls named Celia per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.215 per 1,000. Strongest in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Michigan.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Celia born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Rhode Island 10 0.799 +271%
Massachusetts 63 0.521 +142%
Michigan 69 0.379 +76%
New Jersey 62 0.343 +60%
New York 132 0.333 +55%
Wisconsin 34 0.330 +53%
Pennsylvania 76 0.321 +49%
Minnesota 34 0.315 +46%
Virginia 53 0.311 +44%
Iowa 18 0.308 +43%
Colorado 34 0.305 +41%
Ohio 67 0.282 +31%
Tennessee 44 0.278 +29%
Illinois 60 0.262 +22%
Connecticut 15 0.258 +20%
California 213 0.253 +18%
Oregon 15 0.230 +7%
Maryland 24 0.226 +5%
Washington 32 0.222 ≈ national
Florida 89 0.208 ≈ national
Indiana 28 0.199 -7%
Georgia 45 0.198 -8%
Missouri 23 0.191 -11%
Texas 152 0.189 -12%
South Carolina 16 0.178 -17%
North Carolina 38 0.167 -22%
Louisiana 12 0.137 -36%
Alabama 11 0.117 -46%
Kentucky 10 0.117 -46%
Arizona 13 0.093 -57%
Oklahoma 5 0.068 -68%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Celia

Celia is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #774 in 2025 with 351 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 56,716 American babies have been named Celia. Its peak came in 1915, when 853 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Celia stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Celia?

The median living Celia is about 42 years old; half are between 21 and 68. An estimated 31 thousand people named Celia are alive in the United States today.

median 42 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Celia year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 351 #774 – –
2024 383 #735 – –
2023 332 #828 – –
2022 323 #861 – –
2021 358 #791 – –
2020 345 #790 – –
2019 308 #869 – –
2018 287 #932 – –
2017 324 #838 – –
2016 344 #835 – –
2015 328 #852 – –
2014 356 #787 – –
2013 355 #768 – –
2012 376 #740 – –
2011 372 #741 – –
2010 375 #744 – –
2009 377 #753 – –
2008 390 #756 – –
2007 370 #779 – –
2006 406 #699 – –
2005 410 #678 – –
2004 406 #677 – –
2003 406 #653 – –
2002 388 #652 – –
2001 424 #594 – –
2000 410 #619 – –
1995 318 #669 – –
1990 391 #589 – –
1985 406 #500 – –
1980 277 #656 5 #6,391
1975 206 #718 – –
1970 357 #531 – –
1965 356 #503 – –
1960 540 #416 – –
1955 604 #350 – –
1950 507 #351 – –
1945 377 #357 – –
1940 381 #327 – –
1935 423 #295 – –
1930 559 #265 8 #3,061
1925 661 #258 – –
1920 726 #242 – –
1915 853 #195 – –
1910 402 #169 – –
1905 270 #185 – –
1900 316 #173 – –
1895 273 #158 – –
1890 204 #169 – –
1885 153 #148 – –
1880 90 #152 – –

Famous people named Celia

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Celia Imrie Celia Imrie English actress (born 1952) Contemporary
  2. 2 Celia Weston Celia Weston American actress (born 1951) Contemporary
  3. 3 Celia Cruz Celia Cruz Cuban singer (1925–2003) Contemporary
  4. 4 Celia Johnson Celia Johnson English actress (1908–1982) Contemporary
  5. 5 Celia Sánchez Celia Sánchez Cuban revolutionary and archivist (1920–1980) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Celia, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Celia?

The median living Celia is about 42 years old. Half of all living Celias are between 21 and 68 years old.

How many people named Celia are alive today?

An estimated 31 thousand people named Celia are alive in the United States, based on 56,716 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Celia mean?

Borrowed from Latin Caelia, feminine of Roman family name Caelius, probably from caelum (“heaven”).

How popular is the name Celia in 2025?

Celia ranked #774 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 351 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Celia?

56,716 babies have been named Celia in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Celia most popular?

Celia peaked in 1915, when 853 newborns received the name.

Is Celia a boy or girl name?

Celia is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Celia rising or falling?

Celia has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Celia become more popular?

Celia is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 391 girls named Celia in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Celia?

Well-known people named Celia include Celia Imrie (actor), Celia Weston (actor), Celia Cruz (singer).

Names like Celia

Names that sound and feel close to Celia: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Celia with similar names → More names starting with C →