Cecilia vs Moira
Cecilia and Moiracompared 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 · Girls
In 2024, Cecilia was ranked #216 and Moira #4192 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2022, Cecilia was ranked #305 and Moira #418 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Cecilia was ranked #325 and Moira #608 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Cecilia and Moira over time
Cecilia and Moira appear together in 2 published lists, across 64 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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
Cecilia and Moira changed places 12 times in Republic of Ireland · Girls between 1964 and 2025, ending at #325 and #608.
- Longest-running competitions
Cecilia and Moira were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Girls for 42 years, from 1964 to 2025, ending at #325 and #608.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls42 shared years, 1964–2025
Cecilia held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Moira in 19.
Highest recorded here: Cecilia #165 in 1965, Moira #209 in 1971.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cecilia #325, Moira #608.
England and Wales · Girls22 shared years, 1996–2024
Cecilia held the stronger position in 22 of those years, Moira in 0.
Highest recorded here: Cecilia #216 in 2024, Moira #2738 in 1997.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cecilia #216, Moira #4192.
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 | Cecilia | Moira |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Traditionally linked to the Latin word for 'blind', via the Roman family name Caecilius it derives from — a family-name etymology rather than a poetic or virtue meaning. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Latin, feminine form of the Roman family name Caecilius | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /sɛˈsiːliə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #325 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #608 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cecilia has a recorded origin (Latin, feminine form of the Roman family name Caecilius); Moira does not have one recorded yet.
- Cecilia has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Moira.
- A meaning is recorded for Cecilia; Moira doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Cecilia
Popularity journey
First recorded1948
First recorded at #361 among girls in Norway in 1948 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #165 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1965 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #496 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls
Moira
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #215 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #209 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1971 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #608 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls