The Cecil surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,941 people carried this name — #3,004 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 24,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 11,758 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Cecil surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Cecil’.

An early record he cites: Richard fil. Cecille, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls. Fil. is Latin for “son of”.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 167 · public domain.

In print

Cecil in American newspapers,
1886–1921.

Newspaper page from The Natchitoches Enterprise carrying the name Cecil
The Natchitoches Enterprise 1914-11-26
Newspaper page from The Weekly Thibodaux Sentinel And Journal Of The 8th Senatorial District carrying the name Cecil
The Weekly Thibodaux Sentinel And Journal Of The 8th Senatorial District 1886-05-29
Newspaper page from The Columbia Herald carrying the name Cecil
The Columbia Herald 1921-11-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 13,565 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Cecil in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

228,955 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cecil. The most, 43,287, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 87,563
Queensland 47,595
Victoria 35,584
Western Australia 25,643
South Australia 19,815
Tasmania 11,289
ACT (Canberra) 719
Northern Territory 186

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cecil.

Who carried it

People named Cecil,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
    William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley 1520–1598 · politician
  • William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
    William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley 1520–1598 · politician
  • Mildred Cooke
    Mildred Cooke 1526–1589 · translator
  • Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter
    Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter 1542–1623 · politician
  • Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
    Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury 1563–1612 · politician
  • William Cecil d. 1715 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Cecil,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States748 records

748 records of the Cecil name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 472
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 157
  • Other U.S. records 119
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Jack Wilson Cecil

    Born 1942; from National City, California. U.S. Army, infantryman; died of wounds 1966 in South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record David Cecil

    Born 1916 in Maryland. Enlisted 1940 at Baltimore; farm hand from Queen Annes County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1987, buried at Eastern Shore Veterans Cemetery, Hurlock, Maryland.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Cecil

    Arrived at Philadelphia in 1850 aboard the Clara Wheeler from Liverpool, aged 24; carver and gilder. From England; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 748 records for Cecil in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia237 records

237 records of the Cecil name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 103
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 67
  • Other Australian records 67
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Cecil

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Tasmania, sailing from London in 1844. Native of Tidenham, Gloucestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1846.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry Park Cecil

    Died 1919 in South Mount Cameron, Ringarooma, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1920.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Theresa Cecil

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Hotspur, aged 47; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 237 records for Cecil in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands12 records

12 records of the Cecil name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 8
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Jane Catherine Clare Cecil

    Died 1902 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 75.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Samuel Cecil

    Died 1849 in Maastricht, aged 46.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Jana Catharina Clara Cecil

    In the population register of Den Helder; born 1826 in Parijs.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Alkmaar (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Cecil in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Canada11 records

11 records of the Cecil name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 7
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 3
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gladys Cecil

    Buried in 1980 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 90.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record David Wesley Cecil

    Died 1965; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record Coates Douglas Cecil

    Born 1898 in Amherst, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 11 records for Cecil in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France6 records

6 records of the Cecil name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Rose Cecil

    Born 1919 in Algeria; died 2001 in Toulon (Var).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gustave Alfred Cecil

    Born 1904 in Brécy; died 1981 in Brécy (Aisne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Emma Ernestine Adelaide Cecil

    Born 1899 in Pamiers (Ariège); died 1974 in Saint-Jean-de-Védas (Hérault).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Cecil in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Cecil name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record B. Cecil

    Royal Scots. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. H. Cecil

    Army Service Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. Cecil

    Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Cecil name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Catherine Cecil

    Died 1950, aged 71; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edward Cecil

    Died 1935, aged 64; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cecil.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Cecil is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Cecil volume
Scroll to Top