Cecil vs Nils
Cecil and Nilscompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2021, Cecil was ranked #3990 and Nils #3990 among boys in England and Wales.
Cecil and Nils over time
Cecil and Nils appear together in 1 published list, across 15 years of shared records. Nils held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Cecil in 0.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Nils reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cecil in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Cecil and Nils changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1996 and 2021, ending at #3990 and #3990.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Cecil #1889 in 2000, Nils #1850 in 1999.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys15 shared years, 1996–2021
Cecil held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Nils in 10.
Highest recorded here: Cecil #1889 in 2000, Nils #1850 in 1999.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Cecil #3990, Nils #3990.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Cecil | Nils |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, IE | GB-ENW, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Boys #2813 (2023) | Norway · Boys #61 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 60/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cecil has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Nils.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, IE.
How each name got here
Cecil
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #181 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1965–1988
Highest recorded position: #181 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1965–1988).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2023
Most recently recorded at #2813 among boys in England and Wales, in 2023.
England and Wales · Boys
Nils
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #26 among boys in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1945–2025
Highest recorded position: #21 among boys in Norway, in 1947 (recorded 1945–2025).
Norway · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #61 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys