Cecilia vs Sylvie
Cecilia and Sylviecompared 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 Sylvie #211 among girls in England and Wales.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2022, Cecilia was ranked #305 and Sylvie #354 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Cecilia was ranked #325 and Sylvie #608 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Cecilia was ranked #351 and Sylvie #384 among girls in Scotland.
Cecilia and Sylvie over time
Cecilia and Sylvie appear together in 2 published lists, across 38 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Sylvie reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cecilia 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
Cecilia and Sylvie changed places 9 times in England and Wales · Girls between 1996 and 2024, ending at #216 and #211.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Girls within 2 years — Cecilia #216 in 2024, Sylvie #211 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Cecilia held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Sylvie in 15.
Highest recorded here: Cecilia #216 in 2024, Sylvie #211 in 2024.
The order changed in 2024: Sylvie moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #245 and #259; by 2024 that had become #216 and #211.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cecilia #216, Sylvie #211.
Republic of Ireland · Girls9 shared years, 2008–2025
Cecilia held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Sylvie in 3.
Highest recorded here: Cecilia #320 in 2024, Sylvie #364 in 2023.
The order changed in 2024: Cecilia moved ahead. In 2023 they stood at #625 and #364; by 2024 that had become #320 and #736.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cecilia #325, Sylvie #608.
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 | Sylvie |
|---|---|---|
| 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, GB-SCT, 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 | 88/100 |
| 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); Sylvie does not have one recorded yet.
- Cecilia has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Sylvie.
- A meaning is recorded for Cecilia; Sylvie doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, 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
Sylvie
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #1646 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #211 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #608 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Girls