See the results of this poll: Cecilia means blind, does this make it unusable?
Respondents: 53 (This poll is closed)
- Yes : 7 (13%)
- No: 46 (87%)
I’ve always loved [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] as well. I think the meaning is unfortunate, but it doesn’t make it unusable. It’s not the best meaning a name can have, but in the end it’s not as bad as “crooked nose”, or something similar. To me, the long history of usage and the fact that [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] is the patron saint of music make up for the not-so-great meaning.
I can’t think of a way to make it less harsh… Maybe [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] [name_f]Dolores[/name_f]? It means the same as [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] [name_f]Deirdre[/name_f], I guess.
As a combo I like [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_f]Emilie[/name_f] the best. I’m not a fan of [name_f]Amelie[/name_f]. They’re very different names in my language.
I really like [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f], and I definitely don’t think the meaning makes it unusable. It’s not all that bad a meaning really, and it’s unlikely many people would be aware of it. I have it on my list and I combined the meanings of the middle names so overall it means Blind Unending/[name_f]Eternal[/name_f] [name_u]Love[/name_u]. From your combos I prefer [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_f]Emilie[/name_f], just because I find [name_f]Amelie[/name_f] a bit awkward to say in the combo.
I have a very lovely Aunt [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]. A few years ago, I sent her and the rest of my aunts decorative plagues with poems about the meaning of their names. When I first discovered that [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] means ‘blind,’ I was ready to bail out on the gift idea. However, the person who designed these had a terrific idea. She suggested that the meaning of [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] goes beyond blindness and results in having [name_m]Trust[/name_m] and [name_f]Faith[/name_f] when we cannot see what is ahead. Together we wrote up something really beautiful about the meaning. Unexpectedly, I ended up liking My Aunt [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f]'s gift the most. I cannot remember the details now. Because there is an expanded and wonderful way of looking at the meaning of [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f], I would not let that stop you from using it.
Not unusable. Because you don’t associate the words together I don’t think it’s a problem. When I hear [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] I don’t think ‘blind’. [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] for example is a popular name that means ‘no limbs’ medically.
I also love [name_f]Cecelia[/name_f] and wouldn’t let the meaning hinder you. Blind can be turned into a positive as previous posters have stated.
[name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] and [name_f]Cecily[/name_f] are two of my favorite names, despite that they mean “blind.” I just think of the kind of metaphorical meaning of “blind” as in “love is blind” or “justice is blind.” It’s funny that someone suggested [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] [name_f]Dolores[/name_f], because [name_f]Dolores[/name_f] is the other name I love that falls in this category: it means “sorrow”!
I don’t think “blindness” is something negative; it does appear to be but blindness enhances the other sences, blind people won’t judge others based on their race, colour, looks but rather judge them based on their character; they notice beauty in things other than appearance.
However, in general meanings don’t matter much to me, [name_f]Mary[/name_f] means “bitter”, still I and millions of other people do not seem to care, many names have a religious meaning, even make statements such as “Yahweh is God”, I am not a bit religious still I’d use these names.
From you comments, I prefer [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_f]Amelie[/name_f].
[name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] is on my short list for future children, and meanings are important to me so I’ve had the same problem as you. I think everyone else has had some great suggestions! One thing I’ve thought of is combining [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] with a MN that means light, like [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] [name_f]Helen[/name_f]. That way it could signify either a blinding light, or a transformation, like “I was blind, but now I see.” Another MN idea I’ve had more recently is [name_f]Penelope[/name_f]. It means “weaver,” and that makes me think of the metaphor (I think it comes from [name_u]Corrie[/name_u] ten Boom) how life is like a tapestry, and we can only see the back side of it which looks like just a tangled mess of random strings. But when you flip it over, you see that each thread had a purpose in creating something beautiful (which you were “blind” too before). So yeah, don’t know if that helps or not but those are two ideas I’ve had.
I love names and have never cared at all about meanings — the historical and cultural origins, namesakes and other associations are important to me, but a lot of the assigned meanings aren’t really based in anything substantial. If my name meant “blind,” I think the only thing that would affect in my life is that I might feel a stronger connection and compassion for people who are vision-impaired, and would make me more consciously grateful for the ability to see. So that doesn’t seem like a bad thing.
I always steer away from names with negative meanings, but [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] (or rather, [name_f]Cecily[/name_f]) is the only exception I’ve made. It has such a sweet, evergreen sound it’s impossible not to like it. Also, St. [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] is the patron saint of musicians, which I think really compensates for the bad meaning. As an added bonus, all the Cecilias I’ve met have been absolutely beautiful people.
If the meaning bothers you a lot, I think it’s a good idea to add another name to change the meaning. In my case, I chose [name_f]Eleanor[/name_f] [name_f]Cecily[/name_f]- it would mean “light so bright it blinds”. [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] [name_f]Deirdre[/name_f] is fantastic! (as much as I like it, I sadly can’t get over [name_f]Deirdre[/name_f]'s meaning).
Finally, I like [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] [name_f]Rosalind[/name_f] [name_f]Emilie[/name_f] slightly better. I just prefer the name [name_f]Emilie[/name_f] to [name_f]Amelie[/name_f] in general (ironically, I prefer [name_f]Amelia[/name_f] over [name_f]Emilia[/name_f])
It doesn’t bother me. [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f] is a name that has a long history and many positive associations.
[name_m]Jacob[/name_m] and its derivative [name_u]James[/name_u] are often said to mean “supplanter” or “usurper” but that hasn’t stopped those names from being extremely popular.
No! I think the phrase name ‘meaning’ can be misleading, name origin would be more appropriate. The latin word for blind is caecus, which is believed to be the origin of the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] name Caecilius (feminine form [name_f]Caecilia[/name_f]), this in turn became the name [name_f]Cecilia[/name_f], which bares minimal resemblance to the original latin. [name_f]Cecelia[/name_f] is a beautiful name and I hope you won’t be put off by its history.
I would never give a name with an unpleasant meaning to my daughter. While the meaning of a name tends not to be the chief consideration, it should have some importance nonetheless.