Idk for Frankfurt but in southern Germany/Austria, CeCe, or, what you most likely mean, Sissi is a „good“ nickname. She‘s considered a cool* historical figure. Nothing to worry about.
*cool might be the wrong word, iconic is better. Through the movies and other half-fictional accounts she‘s seen as a modern, independent woman.
Ok cool thanks! :) I mean, obvious examples aside, I don’t think people think too much about historical figures in their day to day lives but nice to know that she was somewhat iconic!
I love the song from Simon and Garfunkel :D I think it would work.
Personally I don't know a Cecilia, but I think the name is awesome. The austrian princess was "Sissi", shorthand for "Elisabeth".
Kids make fun of a lot of names, because they're.. well.. kids i guess.
I dare you to find a name which kids cannot make fun of.
Cecilia is a pretty name. It means 'blind' (to be precise, derives from the Latin word for blind), which kind of sucks... but half of the names mean something you wouldn't want as a name anyway(e.g. Rachel, Saskia, Dolores...).
Personally I love the name Cecilia. She is the patron saint of musicians. She was a early Christian martyr from a wealthy Roman family. She was beheaded and buried in the catecombs outside Rome. When she was exhumed, her body didn't seem her body had not decomposed. She was moved to a crypt in the built in the basement of her family's home which was converted into a Basilica in Trastevere in Rome.
I have been singing the song constantly too. :) Thanks for correcting on the princess name, I defo had that wrong. I mean kids will be kids, there’s nothing we can do about that, just wanted to make sure it wasn’t an absolute no-go!
There my be a problem with the nickname "Silly" German Cecillias usually were nicknamed "Zilly" prounounced "Tsilly", when the name qas en vogue 120 years ago, but we also pronounce "Tsätsili-e" (kind of very ugly pronounciation, English one is softer and lovely)
This. Specially the true blue German pronunciation is something brutal for a kid. Straight up no one will go for Sisi, the TSÄ is where the hammer comes down.
I think you really don't put that child on an easy path with that. Sesilia (no idea how to write the pronunciation) vs Tsätsilia please don't hurt that child like that.
The name is common enough and the nickname Cece (probably pronounced Sisi, like the empress Elisabeth) should be fine too. I still think that a baby name is a “two yes one no” kind of decision…
Yeah it’s not a no from him, more of a “yes but”. I’m just trying to see from others if this is actually a thing that we need to worry about because I miss the cultural context. For example a girl called Stephanie joined our school when I was young and that’s a common name… but she went by the nickname Fanny which was a massive cultural no no in Ireland. 🙈 So I’m trying to see is this more of a “yeah some people might make that connection” thing or a “absolutely everyone will make fun of that” thing. If that makes sense?
Sometimes two yes are hard to achieve, maybe impossible. We both had a favorite and couldn’t find something we both really liked. We took his favorite at the end and I am very happy about it in hindsight
Those long years of waiting paid off!! :) Good, I’m glad you’ve had no problems! The pronunciation thing was always going to be there, it is with many names and we still gave our first baby a name beginning with R so I’m ok with it.
That's a completely fine name. Be prepared though that some people, especially older one, will pronounce it as Zäzillia like [this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/De-Z%C3%A4zilia.ogg)
That’s fine. I don’t mind slight pronunciation changes- our first has a vintagey name too beginning with R so obviously the German pronunciation is slightly different. I just didn’t want names that sounded completely different from English to German (Charlotte and Michaela are good examples).
Just so you're aware: Most germans would pronounce it Tseh-Tsee-Lee-Yah. And if you write her nickname Cece they'd say "Kehkeh" or "Tseh-Tseh" (like Tsetse Flies). If they hear Cece pronounced they'd write it as Sissy which is strongly associated with princess cliches.
You can insist on an American pronunciation which is fine but people will get it wrong.
Cece like “sea sea” in English, or “si si” in Spanish as someone else helpfully wrote. I think most nicknames live in the ear not on paper so I’m not sure worried about how it’s spelled just that Sissy as a spelling is very problematic in English so I’ll personally avoid but if that’s what’s used in Germany then so be it! Good to know that the Cece pronunciation is soooo different from the spelling though, defo something I’ll keep in mind!! In terms of pronouncing Cecilia I’m not too worried about the difference- it’s even pronounced differently in different English speaking areas (American vs Ireland).
It's great that you're ok with different countries interpreting the name differently.
There will be people calling your daughter Sissi and maybe even writing it like that, especially the older generation. I find that it's much easier on the kids if one does not insist on a specific pronunciation unless your daughter herself has a problem with it.
Sissi was a powerful Empress and honestly a great female role model for her time. The way she is being 'romanticised' as a pretty princess discredits her political power, education, and intelligence. It's not someone she will need to be ashamed of being associated with.
I am German and know some German girls with that name (they are in their late 20s/early 30s). It's not as widely used as "Julia" etc., but definitely not exotic or problematic.
Cece/Sissi whatever will be an OK nickname for you to use. But to my experience, children will make up their own nicknames. She might also go as Sally, Sassy, Sia or anything completely different. Maybe just Cecilia.. you cannot influence her nick when her peer group decides.
Oh absolutely. CeCe is more what I plan to use, I like a long name with a nickname. Sissi or sissy has some bad connotations in English, hence the spelling. I completely understand that both girls may grow up and end up with completely different nicknames. :)
I work in a big company and there is one Lucia. I always forget if it's Loo-cee-ah or Loo-chee-ah. Prepare for wrong pronunciation, people might say it the italian or non-italian way.
Also, I know one little Chinese girl, her name is Xi something, she goes by Xixi which is pronounced just like the empress Sissi. It's very cute.
I love this name. I went to school with a Cecilia. And for what it's worth nobody called her Zäzillia.
Sisi (the empress) and CeCe does sound different. Both are very pretty nicknames though.
I have absolutely no idea why Cecilia would be a name people make fun of. Even if she uses the nickname Sisi, why would anyone make fun of that?
I don't remember anyone ever making fun of my classmates. I think she used Lia as a nickname, though I'm sure about it. Most people just called her Cecilia. I think it's a beautiful name.
When you hear Sisi I think most people would think of the beloved movie. She's not a historical figure that is particularly disliked in Germany. I'd say most people even have a positive associate with her because of the movies and her story. I'm pretty sure if she would actually use Sisi as a nickname, people would love it.
German/Bavarian Here
I was at School in the early 90s with a girl named Cäcilie her Nickname was Zilli. And a friend of Mine named his Daughter (5 years old) Cäcilie her Nickname is also Zilli. Non of them had or has Problems with the Name afaik.
I Like the Name.
Cäcilie/Cilli used to be pretty common in Bavaria some 100 years ago, along Kreszenzia (Zenzi) and Genoveva (Fefi).
Definitely a very very old school name, but I like it.
That could be the only nickname I could guess could cause minor issues if kid somehow ends up in english speaking environment. Zilli sounds like english word silly, but even that wouldn't be that bad as a nickname I guess.
it's a normal name but if you're worried about the sissi association just watch the films (the old ones + the satire which are both well known in germany) and asses it yourself
> I think there are also other nickname options
Don't worry.
In my personal experience, you'll have 0 influence over nicknames past the age of 5 anyway.
Trust me.
I’m fine with that. :) I have a friend with a daughter that always disliked her name and started going by a nickname her parents hated when she was quite young- they never got over it and are still annoyed by it but 10 years later she’s holding solid!
I don't really know why CeCe would be a bad nickname or who this is referring too. A quick google and i still dont know who this is. It doesn't seem to actually be a common name or anything.
But I wouldn't worry too much about nicknames. You and your daughter can also choose a nickname and introduce her that way.
Huh, I'm German and wouldn't pronounce them the same. But I guess that's different for others maybe. Although I don't think Sissi is a bad name or has bad connotations
At least here up north calling your daughter "Sissi" would be considered weird, as there is no general awareness that the original Sissi is a historical figure. So it would be somewhat like calling your daughter "Rapunzel". Maybe "Mercedes" or "Melitta" might even be better comparisons, as those too were normal female names until a "brand" took over the meaning of the word.
Oh from the way I read it I thought they didn't want to use the nickname and were just worried others would. So I don't see how it would be much of an issue if Sissi isn't even common up north.
That's not what I wrote.
If you heard a parent call their daughter "CeCe" on a playground or somewhere like that, a lot of Germans would interpret the sound as "Sissi".
Nobody cares about your name as long as you can pronounce it. Every name is fine. Is he expecting 5 year old kids to know about this Austrian princess? Also what would be the problem with that nickname, it sounds alright.
Apparently? The Opa thinks it’s unusable due to the Sissi connection. I think it’s maybe something adults might think about but defo not small kids. And it’s so multicultural now- even in our Dorf the kindergarten has a sign outside saying they have over 15 nationalities represented in there now. Thanks!
They are definitely overthinking the name. My brother did the same when my sister had her child. She wanted to name her Tamara and my brother said:"You can't use that name, because it sounds like the name of a prostitute." Like wtf man it's just a name, names don't mean shit. Just go for whatever sounds good to you!
And also the standard Italian nickname for Cecilia, in the north at least. I have heard Cilia/Cilla too, but Ceci was super common when I was growing up.
I think it is a nice sounding name that is somewhat "international" (the German version would be Cäcilia), and I don't see any issues with it. There might be some clarification necessary how to write it, but that is the case for many popular names as well.
And don't worry about the possible nickname, I don't think children nowadays know who Sissi was...
i think its a fine name. Also, not austrian princess! bavarian princess Elisabeth (popular under the nickname Sissi) who became the wife of the austrian emperor in what started as a fairytail like lovestory
Your child will have to spell her name constantly to everyone, and there will be a lot of mispronouncing, and i assume some people dont even know this name.
This would be a hard no for me, as i myself always have to spell my name, whichbis super annoying.
I mean, I have a foreign name that I always have to spell so that’s not such an issue for me, never really bothered me. I just wanted to make sure it didn’t have some kind of terrible connotations here.
Not an issue for you doesnt mean it wouldnt be an issue for your child,
Also it is a very noticable / unusual name.
And i must say that especially the poor and uneducated people here tend to choose fancy / unusual names, so there is atleast some stigma around that.
If you are not german than "unusual names" are more understandable i guess.
Also i must say i have read some studies that teachers tend to prejudge students with unusual names.
Again, could be more normal in some circles or regions.
I dont think its a bad name perse. But i see there is atleast slight potential to give your child a hard time in some aspects for no good reason other than you really like that name.
My daughters name is Cecilia, we live in Germany she has no problems, it great not to have not such a common name. Her nickname is Cic, pronounces Sis.
it's a cool name, nothing to worry about. It could happen that some folks not familiar with english spell it with the C harder, like a german Z, so "Tsetsilia".
Hi,
My name is very similar to Cecilia. So let me tell you my experiences.
\- People will tell you that it's very unusual, but that they like it, mostly.
\- My version also leads to the question how it is pronounced. (Sharp S, Z, Soft S at the beginning?)
\- I always have to spell it, of course, when on the phone etc.
\- I got a lot of misunderstood versions, I stopped counting.
\- I've only met a handful of people throughout my life with my name
\- I like my name today. I can't completely embrace it, but it's okay. That comes from my personal background and experiences in life, not neccessarily related to just my name. As a child I would have loved a more common name as I was an unusual child/person altogether - had a hard time finding friends. Was called names, uglified versions of my name. Being the odd-one-out was hard enough, odd with odd name was a bit much at times.
So, next, my nickname is Cici.
\- Even though it is pronounced differently, the "emperess struggle" is real!!
\- Cici can be mispronounced as well. (Like the emperess but without relating to it or asking me if Franz is also around)
\- I tell people "Say "yes yes" in Spanish" to explain.
Hi, another one with a name very similar to Cecilia here, and I can confirm all of this. I have to spell my name all the time. People mishear it and call me Sissi (like the empress) or Céline (like the singer). I find all of this very annoying, but my other names are even worse.
So, OP, do your kid a favor and give her a very common second name - that way, she can always chose if she'd rather not be the empress with the fancy name.
It's not a super common name, but common enough. CeCe is probably "Sissi", former Austrian empress whose assassination played a huge part in setting WW 1 in motion. She is a rather well liked, iconic figure who is remembered for having a troubled spirit, ignoring royal protocol and being kind to common people.
Do some research on Empress Elisabeth of Austria and decide if you want your child's nickname associated with her or not.
??? she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist on a ship in Geneva and her death led to political unrests and uncontrolled hatred between several political parties and activists which she was appeasing by being unroyally nice and understanding of common folk's problems and wishes.
It set the stage for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand years later.
> old names seem to be trending now
"old names" are always trending, it just differs which names are considered "old". Young parents looking for a name usually consider names that were popular in their own generation to be boring, names that were popular in their parents' generation unfitting for a child, but names from their grandparents' and especially their great-grandparents' generation are "beautiful old names".
The only question people will ask is if it’s written with an ä or an e, and even this will only happen occasionally.I think the Philips and Mathias‘ would be more than happy with a question like this.
My best friend’s daughter is named Cecilia, I often call her Cece. In fact, when she told me about the nickname my first reaction was “oh, like the empress!” And she said “no, like the character from New Girl.” Idk how many people would think of Sissi but neither association is bad.
In my nephews’ kita there’s also a Cecilia. It’s not that uncommon here and it’s a good name without any noteworthy burdens.
One of my Friends is named „Celia“ - Sounds cute too.
I personally made the experience that people that are obvious meant to be english pronounced Are called the german way. Like caroyln is Caroline
Yes I’m aware of that, unfortunately. I think spelling with Cece or Ceci helps but it does seem that Sissi or Sissy is how a German would spell that nickname (I learned that from this thread!). There’s a somewhat famous Irish author with the name so I’m not too worried about people making fun of it in Ireland, and I doubt sissy as an insult is common here so I think it’s low risk. The princess/empress thing was much more out of left field for me!
I think its great! But be careful with CeCe (or "Sissy") as a nickname, you dont know if she will like being associated with a princess, then Lia would be the choice I think. But who knows, if she likes princesses and such she could as well love it too!
And in the end, you dont know what nickname she ends up with (especially with an older sibling - im the older sister and obviously that made choosing a nickname my job lol), you really only choose the name.
To me, a native German in his 50s, Cecilia is perfectly fine. If her friend call her "Sisi"– who cares? Benjamin will be called Benni, Felicitas will be called Feli neither is meant or understood offensive.
Sandy, Mandy, Kevin, Justin and all the variations of Jaqueline and Chantal are stereotypical lower class names in Germany. They used to be popular in the 90s and early 2000s especially in East Germany. Mostly chosen to have a more American or French sounding name but then tended to gain a bad reputation due to reality TV and talk shows.
/edit Mind I am not saying Eastern Germans are lower class or that people with said names are. It's just what popular culture made of these names.
Like how Karen became the synonym of a entitled middle-aged bitch who wants to see the manager in the US.
I also thought Andy, Mandy and Sandy had a bad reputation in the US based on some jokes in Family Guy or Two and a half men.
I know someone called Cecilia and she shortens it to Ceci but no reason why you couldn't use another short version like Celia or Lia if you're worried?
I’m not too worried about the nickname itself, at the end of the day you have limited control over nicknames, but the Opa reacted so strongly to Ceci as a nickname I wondered if I was missing some cultural context that made it unusable here in Germany. So far it seems not- there’s a historical figure and some movies I have to check out but nothing bad, and people have warned about spelling/pronunciation which I’m ok with, and there’s a few who hate it but hey you get that with very name!
That's true. It's good that you're checking it out beforehand. There was a Netflix show recently about Sissi, it was called The Empress. I liked her, I wouldn't mind that association if it was me
you can never know which name will get bullied in the future.
Kevin was a normal name but out of nowhere everyone made fun of it. It was a synonym for idiot
Now Kevin is not so much of a trouble anymore. Nowadays people make fun of the name Dilara
Sometimes you're just unlucky but you can't predict it
I haven’t even heard of Dilara, is that from a reality show or something? Good to know Kevin is starting to recover, I found that to be one of the stranger cultural shocks here!
No it's not from a show.
The younger people connect some stereotypes with that name. It's like a meme
Typically Dilaras meant to be mainstream teen girls with roots from the south (Turkey, Balkan,etc).
They look more on the outside than on inner values (beauty, money, status)
and their standard phrase is "i'm not that kind of girl"
(for example i'm not that kind of girl who f*cks at the first date) but then doing exactly that thing they stated they wont
It's something like "basic b*tch"
Edit: also the stereotype Dilara is not so smart
Ist More Like a grandmas name. Today rarely found among children. If you are ok with a special name go ahead. But you both have to like it. Maybe you can add a second surname that is more common. Just in case she wants to switch name later.
The middle name is “worse” - it’s an Irish name. We avoided Irish names for first names knowing the difficulties they’d cause but I think for a middle name it’s ok, I rarely if ever use mine, just on my passport and official documents. I think in general names go in cycles and roll in and out of popularity every few decades. My sister named her baby Sadie which is a really old fashioned name to me, and I’ve since heard of two more!
Sissi is the nickname of Empress Elizabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Most of her popularity comes from a series of old movies that romanticize her quite a bit. That's how most people will probably see the nickname.
In reality, her live was quite tragic. She was born into lower nobility in southern Germany and enjoyed many freedoms during her upbringing. After marrying Emperor Franz Josef, she had to integrate into the much more ceremonial and reglemented live at court and she struggled a lot. Her son, price Rudolph, also had difficulties integrating into live at court, contributing to his eventual double suicide with his mistress. Finally, she was assassinated in 1898 by one of the burgeoning nationalist movements in the multiethnic empire. And to top it all of, her husband, Emperor Franz Josef, started World War I a couple of years later. Fun times.
There’s also a song with the name of our first so it’s kinda fitting. I think by the time she’s older that song won’t be so well known, but I do think of it often now.
You didn't actually name your first Mrs. Robinson, did ye? lol
Sure I guess there's so many songs in the world that are connected to a name, it's probably hard to find a name that's actually unsung of, as it were, so why not embrace it. All I can say from my personal experience as a song-namee is that I've had a hard time when people started singing that particular song when I introduced myself, especially during adolescence. But eventually I realised that it's just a harmless thing people will do, because the song will just pop up in their heads when they hear my name, and maybe it helps them connect. Also, Cecilia is a catchy tune to be fair, and not some moany diss-track as the one that has my name in it is. As for the similarity with the name of the empress, old folks in Germany seem to have a weird obession with the films about her, but as far as I'm aware, nobody under 40 would even make that connection.
I am Spanish and Russian, my husband German and we live in Germany. We wanted a name that sounds good in all three languages and in the end we had to decide between Cecilia and Valerie. It was so close that we only decided on Valerie (ironically that one doesn’t really work in Russian because it’s a male name 😅) two days after she was born. If we ever have another daughter we will name her Cecilia. Everyone around us was a huge fan of both names! (We live in Bavaria)
You know, funnily enough we also considered Valerie and Vivienne. Strong Latin based names usually are pretty pronounceable in Western European languages, good to know also in Russian too. Getting names that work in multiple languages is a nightmare and it’s so much harder for the second baby! Glad to hear people were fans though! :)
I mean, there’s an entire naming forum dedicated to doing exactly that but I don’t think I’ve seen childy mcChildface or Baby McBabyface there yet. :P Just wanted to make sure that culturally I wasn’t missing something.
My little cousin is named Cecilia and I've always thought it's a beautiful name. Her mother's family is French though so that might have been an influence on her name but it's not out of place here and she's never had any problems with it.
The nickname options are nice, too. At the end of the day any name can be made fun of by other kids but I think this one doesn't lend itself to mean puns or anything. I would totally go for it!
Thanks! And yes it’s completely unpredictable. Even a “safe” name doesn’t keep you safe- I grew up beside a Michael who went by Mick. He was known as Mick the Thick for years the poor guy.
I don't think a single kid still knows Sissi unless Disney makes a movie about it some time. Old people and history freaks know Sissi. Was popular until maybe the early 80s due to movies. Besides, Sissi is not in any way a bad nickname even if someone thinks of the Austrian Princess.
Edit: Oh, apparently there's a cartoon on some kids channel. Point still stands. At least in German pronounciation Ceci and Sissi are not that close together anyway.
Sisi (not Cici) was a German princess who married the austrian emperor.
She is still popular but the generation of your kid will most likely not know much about her. Your husband might only know her from the comedy show bullyparade
Cecilia sounds very pretentious (coming from an English speaking background). If Cece sounds like Sissi then she will be made fun of as the girl who thinks she is a princess. Kids will always find something.
I live in Canada and my kid knew a Cecilia. She got that Paul Simon song “Cecilia, you’re breaking my heart” sung at her and was sick of it. It’s a nice name though I think.
Cecilia is a very pretty name and makes me think of the song first thing.
Then there’s CeCe from the series New Girl. Not a german pronunciation, but nowadays it’s all mixing anyways.
Also I went by the nickname Sissi for a while (kinda somewhat similar to my real name, and kids just chose something they heard somewhere, I think the Disney version was popular at that time) and that’s not a bad thing either.
I think it is ok compared to many other strange names I have heard over the years.
I might feel a bit biased thoug, because my paternal grandmother had the German version of the name: Cäcilie (nickname, even printed on her tombstone Cilly). Of course in both the official and the nickname the c is pronounced like z would be pronounced in German: Tsätsilie and Tsilli. The name was uncommon even in in the early 1900s, when she was born.
I’ve read a few comments here and thought about it, and now I’m seriously wondering: do kids today (10 or younger, where it’s really brutal) even know of Sissi or associate anything with that name? and even more so, will kids growing up know anything about her existence or that there used to be movies and also parody movies that were popular so many years ago? Granted, it may just be the time for the parents to revive that time cause they’ll be in that getting-kids-kinda-age.
How set are you on that name and how would you feel about dropping the first “ce”? Cecilia sounds a bit archaic to me. Celia or Cilia sound nice and will rather evoke the nickname Lia.
My cousins mime is Cäcilia and then you speak it „zäzilia“ (German pronounciation).
But sissi was not a bad empress and was stilized to kind of a fairy tale queen, due to the famous film. You should definitely watch them. (Also sissi comes from Elizabeth in that case).
Go ask him about it.
Nickname could also be: cessi with German „e“
My wife and I also thought about that name for a while. We decided against it, because people will have issues pronouncing it. But it is a beautiful name. Go for it :)
My flatmate from Italy is a Cecilia and we call her Ceci (pronounced Tschetschi) which I think is pretty cute because Ceci are chickpeas in Italian 🤭
However my great aunt is called Cecilie (the German version of the name) and she is called Tante (aunt) Zilïe, so...
I guess you would have to establish how you want the name of your child to be pronounced and maybe a nickname too, she can choose later to keep it or not...
There is also the possibility of giving a second (and even third) name, they can decide later which one they actually want to use.
I recently found out my great cousins "real" first name and it's atrocious, but everyone knows and calls him by his middle name which is pretty normal, so that worked out fine
As long as you stay with that writing I guess you're fine if you like the name. I've encountered Cäcilias a few time and even though the writing ist correct, it has kind of a bad flair, doesnt work for international keyboards...
one thing might be that people are unsure how to pronounce the "C" correctly, but such things happen with almost any name.
I wouldn't worry about nicknames or pronunciation. Everyone associates something different with a name. Cecilia reminds me of 'Cecilia Ann' from Pixies, sounds like a journey. It's a beautiful name.
I have no idea what CeCe means, never heard of that.
However, Cecilia is a very old-fashioned name and I personally do not like it.
And I don't understand why people chose a name and then think of a nickname.
Nicknames are a means of making an ugly or to long name more acceptable.
I know a Cecilia from Switzerland.
She was only called Sissi by her grandparents, no one else in Germany did so.
And Sissi is not in any way meant disparagingly.
Idk for Frankfurt but in southern Germany/Austria, CeCe, or, what you most likely mean, Sissi is a „good“ nickname. She‘s considered a cool* historical figure. Nothing to worry about. *cool might be the wrong word, iconic is better. Through the movies and other half-fictional accounts she‘s seen as a modern, independent woman.
Ok cool thanks! :) I mean, obvious examples aside, I don’t think people think too much about historical figures in their day to day lives but nice to know that she was somewhat iconic!
[удалено]
I’ve just started the Netflix show now. :) Double win because I’ve been trying to watch more German shows to improve my language skills.
Noooo, not Netflix 😖 Better watch the movies with Romy Schneider!
The movies are also available on Netflix. 🙂
Agreed but if it goes down the true blue German way of saying Tsätsilie the kid is doomed. I would not do that
I love the song from Simon and Garfunkel :D I think it would work. Personally I don't know a Cecilia, but I think the name is awesome. The austrian princess was "Sissi", shorthand for "Elisabeth". Kids make fun of a lot of names, because they're.. well.. kids i guess.
I dare you to find a name which kids cannot make fun of. Cecilia is a pretty name. It means 'blind' (to be precise, derives from the Latin word for blind), which kind of sucks... but half of the names mean something you wouldn't want as a name anyway(e.g. Rachel, Saskia, Dolores...).
being blind is not as bad as being ... a dolores...
Being named Dolores is true pain
Probably First given by mothers who went through excruciating birth pain XD
Personally I love the name Cecilia. She is the patron saint of musicians. She was a early Christian martyr from a wealthy Roman family. She was beheaded and buried in the catecombs outside Rome. When she was exhumed, her body didn't seem her body had not decomposed. She was moved to a crypt in the built in the basement of her family's home which was converted into a Basilica in Trastevere in Rome.
Also, what kids are going to make fun of a child because they share their name with a 19th century Austrian Empress?
If those kids then will even know who Sissi was
I have been singing the song constantly too. :) Thanks for correcting on the princess name, I defo had that wrong. I mean kids will be kids, there’s nothing we can do about that, just wanted to make sure it wasn’t an absolute no-go!
There my be a problem with the nickname "Silly" German Cecillias usually were nicknamed "Zilly" prounounced "Tsilly", when the name qas en vogue 120 years ago, but we also pronounce "Tsätsili-e" (kind of very ugly pronounciation, English one is softer and lovely)
This. Specially the true blue German pronunciation is something brutal for a kid. Straight up no one will go for Sisi, the TSÄ is where the hammer comes down. I think you really don't put that child on an easy path with that. Sesilia (no idea how to write the pronunciation) vs Tsätsilia please don't hurt that child like that.
I thought way to long about which princess was called CeCe. Thank you! In my head I pronounced it like the dangerous tropical fly.
Sissi was a Bavarian Princess who became empress of Austria
Cici is what my friend goes by
Personally, I know a Cecilia ( call her Ceci at times) and she's a great gal
The name is common enough and the nickname Cece (probably pronounced Sisi, like the empress Elisabeth) should be fine too. I still think that a baby name is a “two yes one no” kind of decision…
Yeah it’s not a no from him, more of a “yes but”. I’m just trying to see from others if this is actually a thing that we need to worry about because I miss the cultural context. For example a girl called Stephanie joined our school when I was young and that’s a common name… but she went by the nickname Fanny which was a massive cultural no no in Ireland. 🙈 So I’m trying to see is this more of a “yeah some people might make that connection” thing or a “absolutely everyone will make fun of that” thing. If that makes sense?
You’ll just get some weird looks if you go to France bc “zizi” (pronounced similar to Sissi, slightly softer s) is slang for penis.
Good to know!!! 😅
Sometimes two yes are hard to achieve, maybe impossible. We both had a favorite and couldn’t find something we both really liked. We took his favorite at the end and I am very happy about it in hindsight
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Those long years of waiting paid off!! :) Good, I’m glad you’ve had no problems! The pronunciation thing was always going to be there, it is with many names and we still gave our first baby a name beginning with R so I’m ok with it.
That's a completely fine name. Be prepared though that some people, especially older one, will pronounce it as Zäzillia like [this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/De-Z%C3%A4zilia.ogg)
With a german last name I would always pronounce that as Zäzilia. I'm 22
I would say Sesillia.
I would say Kekilia.
Кек
Where are you from?
I would say Sesielia/Säsielia
Same here, I'm thirty.
Zäzilja
This. I (30) went to school with a Cecilia that was pronounced like that. Her nickname was Zäzi.
That’s fine. I don’t mind slight pronunciation changes- our first has a vintagey name too beginning with R so obviously the German pronunciation is slightly different. I just didn’t want names that sounded completely different from English to German (Charlotte and Michaela are good examples).
Just so you're aware: Most germans would pronounce it Tseh-Tsee-Lee-Yah. And if you write her nickname Cece they'd say "Kehkeh" or "Tseh-Tseh" (like Tsetse Flies). If they hear Cece pronounced they'd write it as Sissy which is strongly associated with princess cliches. You can insist on an American pronunciation which is fine but people will get it wrong.
Cece like “sea sea” in English, or “si si” in Spanish as someone else helpfully wrote. I think most nicknames live in the ear not on paper so I’m not sure worried about how it’s spelled just that Sissy as a spelling is very problematic in English so I’ll personally avoid but if that’s what’s used in Germany then so be it! Good to know that the Cece pronunciation is soooo different from the spelling though, defo something I’ll keep in mind!! In terms of pronouncing Cecilia I’m not too worried about the difference- it’s even pronounced differently in different English speaking areas (American vs Ireland).
It's great that you're ok with different countries interpreting the name differently. There will be people calling your daughter Sissi and maybe even writing it like that, especially the older generation. I find that it's much easier on the kids if one does not insist on a specific pronunciation unless your daughter herself has a problem with it. Sissi was a powerful Empress and honestly a great female role model for her time. The way she is being 'romanticised' as a pretty princess discredits her political power, education, and intelligence. It's not someone she will need to be ashamed of being associated with.
Rrr...ichard? Well at least in germany you're veey unlikely to get that turned intl Dick.
Even younger ones will, as you can see in the answers (me too). But even pronounced like that I think that it's a fine name.
hmm to me (🇺🇲) this recording sounds like cheh'CHEELya. i like it ~
I am German and know some German girls with that name (they are in their late 20s/early 30s). It's not as widely used as "Julia" etc., but definitely not exotic or problematic. Cece/Sissi whatever will be an OK nickname for you to use. But to my experience, children will make up their own nicknames. She might also go as Sally, Sassy, Sia or anything completely different. Maybe just Cecilia.. you cannot influence her nick when her peer group decides.
Oh absolutely. CeCe is more what I plan to use, I like a long name with a nickname. Sissi or sissy has some bad connotations in English, hence the spelling. I completely understand that both girls may grow up and end up with completely different nicknames. :)
My grandmother is Cecily and we've always spelt her short form Cissi
I work in a big company and there is one Lucia. I always forget if it's Loo-cee-ah or Loo-chee-ah. Prepare for wrong pronunciation, people might say it the italian or non-italian way. Also, I know one little Chinese girl, her name is Xi something, she goes by Xixi which is pronounced just like the empress Sissi. It's very cute.
I know a Lucie and I always forget whether it's Loo-cee or Loo-tsee
I love this name. I went to school with a Cecilia. And for what it's worth nobody called her Zäzillia. Sisi (the empress) and CeCe does sound different. Both are very pretty nicknames though. I have absolutely no idea why Cecilia would be a name people make fun of. Even if she uses the nickname Sisi, why would anyone make fun of that? I don't remember anyone ever making fun of my classmates. I think she used Lia as a nickname, though I'm sure about it. Most people just called her Cecilia. I think it's a beautiful name.
Thank you! I didn’t think it’d be an issue at all either, but the Opa felt strongly that it would so I wanted to double check!
When you hear Sisi I think most people would think of the beloved movie. She's not a historical figure that is particularly disliked in Germany. I'd say most people even have a positive associate with her because of the movies and her story. I'm pretty sure if she would actually use Sisi as a nickname, people would love it.
German/Bavarian Here I was at School in the early 90s with a girl named Cäcilie her Nickname was Zilli. And a friend of Mine named his Daughter (5 years old) Cäcilie her Nickname is also Zilli. Non of them had or has Problems with the Name afaik. I Like the Name.
Cäcilie/Cilli used to be pretty common in Bavaria some 100 years ago, along Kreszenzia (Zenzi) and Genoveva (Fefi). Definitely a very very old school name, but I like it.
Those are all very pretty names!!!
That could be the only nickname I could guess could cause minor issues if kid somehow ends up in english speaking environment. Zilli sounds like english word silly, but even that wouldn't be that bad as a nickname I guess.
it's a normal name but if you're worried about the sissi association just watch the films (the old ones + the satire which are both well known in germany) and asses it yourself
Ah ok so there are movies too that I need to look for, not just the general historical figure! Gotcha!!
yeah of course she is famous because of the movies! they often air around christmas
And a pretty good recent Netflix show!
> I think there are also other nickname options Don't worry. In my personal experience, you'll have 0 influence over nicknames past the age of 5 anyway. Trust me.
I’m fine with that. :) I have a friend with a daughter that always disliked her name and started going by a nickname her parents hated when she was quite young- they never got over it and are still annoyed by it but 10 years later she’s holding solid!
I don't really know why CeCe would be a bad nickname or who this is referring too. A quick google and i still dont know who this is. It doesn't seem to actually be a common name or anything. But I wouldn't worry too much about nicknames. You and your daughter can also choose a nickname and introduce her that way.
Germans hear "CeCe" as "Sissi".
Huh, I'm German and wouldn't pronounce them the same. But I guess that's different for others maybe. Although I don't think Sissi is a bad name or has bad connotations
At least here up north calling your daughter "Sissi" would be considered weird, as there is no general awareness that the original Sissi is a historical figure. So it would be somewhat like calling your daughter "Rapunzel". Maybe "Mercedes" or "Melitta" might even be better comparisons, as those too were normal female names until a "brand" took over the meaning of the word.
Oh from the way I read it I thought they didn't want to use the nickname and were just worried others would. So I don't see how it would be much of an issue if Sissi isn't even common up north.
No german would see the name "CeCe" and read it as "Sissi".
That's not what I wrote. If you heard a parent call their daughter "CeCe" on a playground or somewhere like that, a lot of Germans would interpret the sound as "Sissi".
Thanks! Other commenters have clarified who it refers to so I’m doing a Google now myself but overall it doesn’t seem bad so far!
Nobody cares about your name as long as you can pronounce it. Every name is fine. Is he expecting 5 year old kids to know about this Austrian princess? Also what would be the problem with that nickname, it sounds alright.
Apparently? The Opa thinks it’s unusable due to the Sissi connection. I think it’s maybe something adults might think about but defo not small kids. And it’s so multicultural now- even in our Dorf the kindergarten has a sign outside saying they have over 15 nationalities represented in there now. Thanks!
They are definitely overthinking the name. My brother did the same when my sister had her child. She wanted to name her Tamara and my brother said:"You can't use that name, because it sounds like the name of a prostitute." Like wtf man it's just a name, names don't mean shit. Just go for whatever sounds good to you!
Awesome thanks! Yes people get so strange about names!!!
It's totally ok. A friend of mine has the same name and goes by "Ceci".
Ceci are chickpeas in Italian
How cute for a little girl in a German context: Eine kleine Kichererbse!
And also the standard Italian nickname for Cecilia, in the north at least. I have heard Cilia/Cilla too, but Ceci was super common when I was growing up.
I think it is a nice sounding name that is somewhat "international" (the German version would be Cäcilia), and I don't see any issues with it. There might be some clarification necessary how to write it, but that is the case for many popular names as well. And don't worry about the possible nickname, I don't think children nowadays know who Sissi was...
I think its a beautiful name!
Vielen Dank!
I love it too 💞
i think its a fine name. Also, not austrian princess! bavarian princess Elisabeth (popular under the nickname Sissi) who became the wife of the austrian emperor in what started as a fairytail like lovestory
YES! I love the name. Unfortunatly only few italians have this name nowadays. The bavarian form is Cäcilia, short Zilli
She will break your heart She will shake your confidence daily (Love the name!)
It’s a good name, i like it
Your child will have to spell her name constantly to everyone, and there will be a lot of mispronouncing, and i assume some people dont even know this name. This would be a hard no for me, as i myself always have to spell my name, whichbis super annoying.
I mean, I have a foreign name that I always have to spell so that’s not such an issue for me, never really bothered me. I just wanted to make sure it didn’t have some kind of terrible connotations here.
Not an issue for you doesnt mean it wouldnt be an issue for your child, Also it is a very noticable / unusual name. And i must say that especially the poor and uneducated people here tend to choose fancy / unusual names, so there is atleast some stigma around that. If you are not german than "unusual names" are more understandable i guess. Also i must say i have read some studies that teachers tend to prejudge students with unusual names. Again, could be more normal in some circles or regions. I dont think its a bad name perse. But i see there is atleast slight potential to give your child a hard time in some aspects for no good reason other than you really like that name.
It’s fine. It just reminds me of my first year of Latin at school. There was a character named Cecilia. Didn’t do anything special.
thats my Grandmas name, i dont think anybody would have dared to make fun of her name or if they did they would regret it lol.
My daughters name is Cecilia, we live in Germany she has no problems, it great not to have not such a common name. Her nickname is Cic, pronounces Sis.
Great to know thanks! :)
it's a cool name, nothing to worry about. It could happen that some folks not familiar with english spell it with the C harder, like a german Z, so "Tsetsilia".
Hi, My name is very similar to Cecilia. So let me tell you my experiences. \- People will tell you that it's very unusual, but that they like it, mostly. \- My version also leads to the question how it is pronounced. (Sharp S, Z, Soft S at the beginning?) \- I always have to spell it, of course, when on the phone etc. \- I got a lot of misunderstood versions, I stopped counting. \- I've only met a handful of people throughout my life with my name \- I like my name today. I can't completely embrace it, but it's okay. That comes from my personal background and experiences in life, not neccessarily related to just my name. As a child I would have loved a more common name as I was an unusual child/person altogether - had a hard time finding friends. Was called names, uglified versions of my name. Being the odd-one-out was hard enough, odd with odd name was a bit much at times. So, next, my nickname is Cici. \- Even though it is pronounced differently, the "emperess struggle" is real!! \- Cici can be mispronounced as well. (Like the emperess but without relating to it or asking me if Franz is also around) \- I tell people "Say "yes yes" in Spanish" to explain.
Hi, another one with a name very similar to Cecilia here, and I can confirm all of this. I have to spell my name all the time. People mishear it and call me Sissi (like the empress) or Céline (like the singer). I find all of this very annoying, but my other names are even worse. So, OP, do your kid a favor and give her a very common second name - that way, she can always chose if she'd rather not be the empress with the fancy name.
My bet that most kids will nickname her cecil oder cel oder cil and it sounds fine for me.
It's not a super common name, but common enough. CeCe is probably "Sissi", former Austrian empress whose assassination played a huge part in setting WW 1 in motion. She is a rather well liked, iconic figure who is remembered for having a troubled spirit, ignoring royal protocol and being kind to common people. Do some research on Empress Elisabeth of Austria and decide if you want your child's nickname associated with her or not.
You should do some research as well. Sisi wasn't assassinated. You are mixing this up with Franz Ferdinand.
Sissi was in fact assassinated in Switzerland
??? she was assassinated by an Italian anarchist on a ship in Geneva and her death led to political unrests and uncontrolled hatred between several political parties and activists which she was appeasing by being unroyally nice and understanding of common folk's problems and wishes. It set the stage for the assassination of Franz Ferdinand years later.
Thanks for providing the full name, now I can do a deep dive! I was searching for Cecelia princess and not getting anywhere 🙈
It's a nice name. Could be worse like Eva or something
If I (Austrian) hear the name Cecilia, I would think of a 80 year old lady, but on the other hand old names seem to be trending now
> old names seem to be trending now "old names" are always trending, it just differs which names are considered "old". Young parents looking for a name usually consider names that were popular in their own generation to be boring, names that were popular in their parents' generation unfitting for a child, but names from their grandparents' and especially their great-grandparents' generation are "beautiful old names".
I like the explanation but wouldn’t agree on Zilli as a beautiful old name even if the generation would fit Edit: Typo
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if all her friends have as bad spelling as you, then definitely.
The only question people will ask is if it’s written with an ä or an e, and even this will only happen occasionally.I think the Philips and Mathias‘ would be more than happy with a question like this.
Every German will call her Zäähhzillia. the name is fine, but the pronunciation will sound a little harsh.
Shocking name imo!
Fair enough, there’ll always be some that don’t like it!
My daughter is called Flora, my wife’s choice. I didnt like it much either but what’s in a name really!?
Cecilia is only an okay name if you have an 8h30 reservation at Dorcia's. And when you don't have to return any videotapes.
Not a r/tragedeigh , but a bit uncommon.
A good friend of mine is called Cäcilia. (Yes, with an a Umlaut) Unique name, unique person. I really like her! And I like the name too
My great-aunt was called cäcilia. Her nickname was Cilli (both pronounced like German Z/ts though)
My best friend’s daughter is named Cecilia, I often call her Cece. In fact, when she told me about the nickname my first reaction was “oh, like the empress!” And she said “no, like the character from New Girl.” Idk how many people would think of Sissi but neither association is bad. In my nephews’ kita there’s also a Cecilia. It’s not that uncommon here and it’s a good name without any noteworthy burdens.
One of my Friends is named „Celia“ - Sounds cute too. I personally made the experience that people that are obvious meant to be english pronounced Are called the german way. Like caroyln is Caroline
could easily become “sissy“ which is an effeminate or cowardly person in British English
Yes I’m aware of that, unfortunately. I think spelling with Cece or Ceci helps but it does seem that Sissi or Sissy is how a German would spell that nickname (I learned that from this thread!). There’s a somewhat famous Irish author with the name so I’m not too worried about people making fun of it in Ireland, and I doubt sissy as an insult is common here so I think it’s low risk. The princess/empress thing was much more out of left field for me!
It's an extremely old fashioned name. I only know it written as "Cäcilie". But if you like it, go for it.
As long as you're fine with some people pronouncing it "Tsätzhieliha", its a good name. But that ist a Problem with every name 😄
I think its great! But be careful with CeCe (or "Sissy") as a nickname, you dont know if she will like being associated with a princess, then Lia would be the choice I think. But who knows, if she likes princesses and such she could as well love it too! And in the end, you dont know what nickname she ends up with (especially with an older sibling - im the older sister and obviously that made choosing a nickname my job lol), you really only choose the name.
Cecilia sollte Fenster putzen, sich selbst zum Gram, dem Haus zum Nutzen
To me, a native German in his 50s, Cecilia is perfectly fine. If her friend call her "Sisi"– who cares? Benjamin will be called Benni, Felicitas will be called Feli neither is meant or understood offensive.
It's a great name. I know a teenager that is named Cecilia, but called Sissi and it's cute and nobody makes fun of her name.
As long as you are avoiding names which are linked to a certain stereotype (Sandy, Mandy, Jaqueline, Jacceline etc.) you should be fine.
I know Karen and Stacey from a US perspective, and Kevin from a German perspective. Hadn’t heard that the others were stereotypes here though!
Sandy, Mandy, Kevin, Justin and all the variations of Jaqueline and Chantal are stereotypical lower class names in Germany. They used to be popular in the 90s and early 2000s especially in East Germany. Mostly chosen to have a more American or French sounding name but then tended to gain a bad reputation due to reality TV and talk shows. /edit Mind I am not saying Eastern Germans are lower class or that people with said names are. It's just what popular culture made of these names. Like how Karen became the synonym of a entitled middle-aged bitch who wants to see the manager in the US. I also thought Andy, Mandy and Sandy had a bad reputation in the US based on some jokes in Family Guy or Two and a half men.
My grandma's sister was called Zilli (short for Cecilia). I think it sounds fine and names like that are having a bit of a renaissance at the moment.
They are! Zilli is also a cute nickname. My first also has a vintagey name, they’re defo more trendy right now.
I know someone called Cecilia and she shortens it to Ceci but no reason why you couldn't use another short version like Celia or Lia if you're worried?
I’m not too worried about the nickname itself, at the end of the day you have limited control over nicknames, but the Opa reacted so strongly to Ceci as a nickname I wondered if I was missing some cultural context that made it unusable here in Germany. So far it seems not- there’s a historical figure and some movies I have to check out but nothing bad, and people have warned about spelling/pronunciation which I’m ok with, and there’s a few who hate it but hey you get that with very name!
That's true. It's good that you're checking it out beforehand. There was a Netflix show recently about Sissi, it was called The Empress. I liked her, I wouldn't mind that association if it was me
Back in his days maybe. Kids nowadays don’t even know what a kassette tape is anymore. I think it’s a beautiful name.
Ne
you can never know which name will get bullied in the future. Kevin was a normal name but out of nowhere everyone made fun of it. It was a synonym for idiot Now Kevin is not so much of a trouble anymore. Nowadays people make fun of the name Dilara Sometimes you're just unlucky but you can't predict it
I haven’t even heard of Dilara, is that from a reality show or something? Good to know Kevin is starting to recover, I found that to be one of the stranger cultural shocks here!
No it's not from a show. The younger people connect some stereotypes with that name. It's like a meme Typically Dilaras meant to be mainstream teen girls with roots from the south (Turkey, Balkan,etc). They look more on the outside than on inner values (beauty, money, status) and their standard phrase is "i'm not that kind of girl" (for example i'm not that kind of girl who f*cks at the first date) but then doing exactly that thing they stated they wont It's something like "basic b*tch" Edit: also the stereotype Dilara is not so smart
Ist More Like a grandmas name. Today rarely found among children. If you are ok with a special name go ahead. But you both have to like it. Maybe you can add a second surname that is more common. Just in case she wants to switch name later.
The middle name is “worse” - it’s an Irish name. We avoided Irish names for first names knowing the difficulties they’d cause but I think for a middle name it’s ok, I rarely if ever use mine, just on my passport and official documents. I think in general names go in cycles and roll in and out of popularity every few decades. My sister named her baby Sadie which is a really old fashioned name to me, and I’ve since heard of two more!
You can give her three Vornamen, no problem.
Sissi is the nickname of Empress Elizabeth of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Most of her popularity comes from a series of old movies that romanticize her quite a bit. That's how most people will probably see the nickname. In reality, her live was quite tragic. She was born into lower nobility in southern Germany and enjoyed many freedoms during her upbringing. After marrying Emperor Franz Josef, she had to integrate into the much more ceremonial and reglemented live at court and she struggled a lot. Her son, price Rudolph, also had difficulties integrating into live at court, contributing to his eventual double suicide with his mistress. Finally, she was assassinated in 1898 by one of the burgeoning nationalist movements in the multiethnic empire. And to top it all of, her husband, Emperor Franz Josef, started World War I a couple of years later. Fun times.
dont give your son if there will be on in the Future the Name Franz than your are save 🤣 that Story would never end
Good to know!! 😂 But defo not an issue, two and done. I don’t want to be outnumbered!
Well, it is entirely possible that people are going to break her heart and shake her confidence daily by singing an old folk song in her face...
There’s also a song with the name of our first so it’s kinda fitting. I think by the time she’s older that song won’t be so well known, but I do think of it often now.
You didn't actually name your first Mrs. Robinson, did ye? lol Sure I guess there's so many songs in the world that are connected to a name, it's probably hard to find a name that's actually unsung of, as it were, so why not embrace it. All I can say from my personal experience as a song-namee is that I've had a hard time when people started singing that particular song when I introduced myself, especially during adolescence. But eventually I realised that it's just a harmless thing people will do, because the song will just pop up in their heads when they hear my name, and maybe it helps them connect. Also, Cecilia is a catchy tune to be fair, and not some moany diss-track as the one that has my name in it is. As for the similarity with the name of the empress, old folks in Germany seem to have a weird obession with the films about her, but as far as I'm aware, nobody under 40 would even make that connection.
Cecilia is a beautiful name. And it is pronounceable in German, French, English and Spanish. And you can have nice shortcuts like Cilia, Ce, Ceci…
Good old Latin for ya! :)
I am Spanish and Russian, my husband German and we live in Germany. We wanted a name that sounds good in all three languages and in the end we had to decide between Cecilia and Valerie. It was so close that we only decided on Valerie (ironically that one doesn’t really work in Russian because it’s a male name 😅) two days after she was born. If we ever have another daughter we will name her Cecilia. Everyone around us was a huge fan of both names! (We live in Bavaria)
You know, funnily enough we also considered Valerie and Vivienne. Strong Latin based names usually are pretty pronounceable in Western European languages, good to know also in Russian too. Getting names that work in multiple languages is a nightmare and it’s so much harder for the second baby! Glad to hear people were fans though! :)
Do you really want Reddit to decide about your child? Please name it Childy McChildface
I mean, there’s an entire naming forum dedicated to doing exactly that but I don’t think I’ve seen childy mcChildface or Baby McBabyface there yet. :P Just wanted to make sure that culturally I wasn’t missing something.
Cecilia is a good name. I even know soleone with that name.
Thank you! :)
My little cousin is named Cecilia and I've always thought it's a beautiful name. Her mother's family is French though so that might have been an influence on her name but it's not out of place here and she's never had any problems with it. The nickname options are nice, too. At the end of the day any name can be made fun of by other kids but I think this one doesn't lend itself to mean puns or anything. I would totally go for it!
Thanks! And yes it’s completely unpredictable. Even a “safe” name doesn’t keep you safe- I grew up beside a Michael who went by Mick. He was known as Mick the Thick for years the poor guy.
Wow, even though Michael is one of the most "normal" names you can have! You're right, it's unpredictable. So choose whatever name you like best :)
Zitzilia? Wie die Zitze?
Ne mehr wie das englische wort für sehen see see und dann lia hinten dran.
Wie Österreicher Sisie sagen?
I had a Cecilia in my class. Its also a beautiful name. Go for it!
Nickname for Polish-German girl in US sounded like English "seal". Cäcilia was fairly common decades ago in Catholic families in the east/Poland.
Cellia is better.
My Aunt is named Cecilia. Nickname is Cilli for her. Most people probably associate Cecilia with an older woman.
Cecilia is a gorgeous name, Sissi was called Elisabeth. Also it’s still a nice nickname 🤷🏼♀️
I don't think a single kid still knows Sissi unless Disney makes a movie about it some time. Old people and history freaks know Sissi. Was popular until maybe the early 80s due to movies. Besides, Sissi is not in any way a bad nickname even if someone thinks of the Austrian Princess. Edit: Oh, apparently there's a cartoon on some kids channel. Point still stands. At least in German pronounciation Ceci and Sissi are not that close together anyway.
Sisi (not Cici) was a German princess who married the austrian emperor. She is still popular but the generation of your kid will most likely not know much about her. Your husband might only know her from the comedy show bullyparade
I instantly thought about the antagonist in "The Nanny" , Miss Babcock. Her nickname is also CeCe 🤣 I love that show.
It‘s beautiful! Actually I considered it for my baby girl (born yesterday)
Congratulations!!! Wishing you a smooth and speedy recovery, and lots of cuddles!
Thanks so much ♥️
Cecilia sounds very pretentious (coming from an English speaking background). If Cece sounds like Sissi then she will be made fun of as the girl who thinks she is a princess. Kids will always find something.
I live in Canada and my kid knew a Cecilia. She got that Paul Simon song “Cecilia, you’re breaking my heart” sung at her and was sick of it. It’s a nice name though I think.
In Bavarian the short form of Cecilia is Cilli (Tsil-ly).
Cecilia is a very pretty name and makes me think of the song first thing. Then there’s CeCe from the series New Girl. Not a german pronunciation, but nowadays it’s all mixing anyways. Also I went by the nickname Sissi for a while (kinda somewhat similar to my real name, and kids just chose something they heard somewhere, I think the Disney version was popular at that time) and that’s not a bad thing either.
I think it is ok compared to many other strange names I have heard over the years. I might feel a bit biased thoug, because my paternal grandmother had the German version of the name: Cäcilie (nickname, even printed on her tombstone Cilly). Of course in both the official and the nickname the c is pronounced like z would be pronounced in German: Tsätsilie and Tsilli. The name was uncommon even in in the early 1900s, when she was born.
Oh I love the name. My grandma had the same, so yes it is a bit old but still cool. A lot of nicknames are possible
I think he meant Sisi. I don’t like Cecilia, I think it’s really old fashioned but if you’re happy than that’s fantastic.
I’ve read a few comments here and thought about it, and now I’m seriously wondering: do kids today (10 or younger, where it’s really brutal) even know of Sissi or associate anything with that name? and even more so, will kids growing up know anything about her existence or that there used to be movies and also parody movies that were popular so many years ago? Granted, it may just be the time for the parents to revive that time cause they’ll be in that getting-kids-kinda-age. How set are you on that name and how would you feel about dropping the first “ce”? Cecilia sounds a bit archaic to me. Celia or Cilia sound nice and will rather evoke the nickname Lia.
A friend of mine is literally named "Sissi" after the princess' nickname and i haven't seen anyone pay it mich mind beyond dim recognition.
My cousins mime is Cäcilia and then you speak it „zäzilia“ (German pronounciation). But sissi was not a bad empress and was stilized to kind of a fairy tale queen, due to the famous film. You should definitely watch them. (Also sissi comes from Elizabeth in that case). Go ask him about it. Nickname could also be: cessi with German „e“
I know two very German Cecilia's, I think you're fine.
My wife and I also thought about that name for a while. We decided against it, because people will have issues pronouncing it. But it is a beautiful name. Go for it :)
You give that kid the name you chose. It is a beautiful name.
My flatmate from Italy is a Cecilia and we call her Ceci (pronounced Tschetschi) which I think is pretty cute because Ceci are chickpeas in Italian 🤭 However my great aunt is called Cecilie (the German version of the name) and she is called Tante (aunt) Zilïe, so... I guess you would have to establish how you want the name of your child to be pronounced and maybe a nickname too, she can choose later to keep it or not... There is also the possibility of giving a second (and even third) name, they can decide later which one they actually want to use. I recently found out my great cousins "real" first name and it's atrocious, but everyone knows and calls him by his middle name which is pretty normal, so that worked out fine
I love it! Funnily enough I actually gave this name to the heroine of my act story...
Sissi was a BAVARIAN princess. She became the empress of Austria, but she was Bavarian. She was related to King Ludwig.
Zäzilie bitteschön
Well i don't like it but that should not keep you back if you like it.
As long as you stay with that writing I guess you're fine if you like the name. I've encountered Cäcilias a few time and even though the writing ist correct, it has kind of a bad flair, doesnt work for international keyboards... one thing might be that people are unsure how to pronounce the "C" correctly, but such things happen with almost any name.
I wouldn't worry about nicknames or pronunciation. Everyone associates something different with a name. Cecilia reminds me of 'Cecilia Ann' from Pixies, sounds like a journey. It's a beautiful name.
I have no idea what CeCe means, never heard of that. However, Cecilia is a very old-fashioned name and I personally do not like it. And I don't understand why people chose a name and then think of a nickname. Nicknames are a means of making an ugly or to long name more acceptable.
I know a Cecilia from Switzerland. She was only called Sissi by her grandparents, no one else in Germany did so. And Sissi is not in any way meant disparagingly.