Fun Facts About the Name Sicily
- More than 1 thousand babies named Sicily: U.S. records list 1,494 babies given the name Sicily from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Sicily Mean?
Sicily is an English feminine given name taken from the name of the Mediterranean island. The island name goes back through Latin Sicilia to Greek Sikelía (Σικελία), which is formed from Síkeloí (Σικελοί), the name of the Sicels, a people who lived on the island in antiquity; the ending -ia gives the sense "land of the Sicels." The deeper origin of the people's name is not settled. One old suggestion ties it to an Indo-European root meaning "to cut," seen in Latin secare and sicilis ("sickle"), and ancient writers linked that idea to the island's shape or to a sickle said to have been found there, but this remains a proposed explanation rather than a demonstrated one. The name is therefore a place reference, not a descriptive phrase of the kind found in many personal names.
Sicily Name History & Origins
Greek writers knew the island as Trinacria, "three-cornered," after its three capes, and also as Sicania, after the Sicans, a people named alongside the Sicels. The form Sikelía, and its Latin descendant Sicilia, gradually displaced those older labels. English inherited the name from Latin; the ending -y reflects the usual English reshaping of Latin -ia, as in Italy from Italia.
As a personal name, Sicily is uncommon and belongs to the English habit of adopting place names as given names, appearing mainly in the English-speaking world. It has no traditional saint's day and no liturgical or royal lineage attached to it. The similar-sounding Cecily and Cicely are unrelated: they are English forms of Cecilia, from Latin Caecilia, and share no origin with the island name.
How Popular is the Name Sicily?
Sicily has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2006. Its best rank was #2,506 in 2006.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,164 | 51 | 0.0032% |
| 2024 | #3,155 | 51 | 0.0032% |
| 2023 | #3,422 | 47 | 0.0029% |
| 2022 | #3,523 | 45 | 0.0027% |
| 2021 | #3,483 | 45 | 0.0027% |
| 2020 | #3,831 | 38 | 0.0024% |
| 2019 | #4,758 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2018 | #3,835 | 39 | 0.0023% |
| 2017 | #3,755 | 41 | 0.0024% |
| 2016 | #4,149 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 2015 | #2,997 | 58 | 0.0032% |
| 2014 | #3,221 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 2013 | #3,260 | 50 | 0.0028% |
| 2012 | #2,976 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 2011 | #3,169 | 53 | 0.0030% |
| 2010 | #3,248 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 2009 | #2,962 | 59 | 0.0032% |
| 2008 | #2,922 | 61 | 0.0032% |
| 2007 | #2,614 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 2006 | #2,506 | 74 | 0.0039% |
| 2005 | #2,783 | 60 | 0.0032% |
| 2004 | #3,437 | 44 | 0.0024% |
| 2003 | #3,580 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2002 | #3,968 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 2001 | #4,018 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2000 | #4,512 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1999 | #4,293 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1998 | #6,330 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1997 | #5,386 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1996 | #7,521 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #6,223 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1994 | #6,613 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #7,423 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1992 | #6,609 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #12,921 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #14,951 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #8,669 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #12,991 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #9,159 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #11,800 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #9,074 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #7,319 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #8,061 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #6,322 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #6,805 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1976 | #6,521 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1975 | #7,047 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #4,976 | 12 | 0.0008% |
| 1973 | #4,820 | 12 | 0.0008% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Sicily Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Sicily's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Sicily's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.