Medieval diminutive of names beginning with El, such as Eleanor, Ellen 1 or Helen. It may have arisen from the medieval affectionate phrase mine El, which was later reinterpreted as my Nel.
Pronounced:SEEL-yə(English)SEE-lee-ə(English)THEHL-ya(European Spanish)SEHL-ya(Latin American Spanish)
Personal remark:Cecilia
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Feminine form of the Roman family name Caelius. Shakespeare used it in his play As You Like It (1599), which introduced the name to the English-speaking public at large. It is sometimes used as a short form of Cecilia.