Cecil Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Cecil last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Cecil last name
Meaning of the Cecil last name: from Seisyll. Cecil is a Welsh surname from the given name Seisyll, from Latin Sextilius. The Cecil family of the Welsh border rose under the Tudors: William Cecil, Lord Burghley, was the leading minister of Elizabeth I, and his descendants became Earls of Salisbury and Exeter. This last name later became a given name.
Arms associated with the Cecil name
In English heraldry, coats of arms associated with the Cecil name are described in a blazon, a short formal text.
Get your full Cecil family history
This is only a glimpse of the Cecil story. The full Cecil history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Cecil coat of arms. Get the full Cecil report.
Cecil name FAQ
What does the Cecil name mean?
From Seisyll. Common variants include Seisyll, Cecill.
Where does the Cecil surname come from?
It originates in Wales, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Cecil coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Cecil coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).