A 1880s favorite, climbing again.
Popularity of Celie since 1880
Babies named Celie per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1916, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Celie's real moment was 1880.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 24 |
| 1890s | 40 |
| 1900s | 38 |
| 1910s | 86 |
| 1920s | 62 |
| 1930s | 22 |
| 1940s | 21 |
| 1950s | 15 |
| 1960s | 11 |
| 1970s | 0 |
| 1980s | 21 |
| 1990s | 35 |
| 2000s | 83 |
| 2010s | 38 |
| 2020s | 23 |
Meaning & origin
Celie is a name with literary origins that has seen a recent resurgence. First recorded in the U.S. in 1880, it was virtually unused for much of the 20th century. The name's association with Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel 'The Color Purple' gives it a strong cultural presence, though its use remains rare. As of 2025, Celie ranks 8,860 and is given to about 1 in 146,115 girls, with the trajectory showing a steady rise since 2021. The name's simple phonetic spelling and soft sound align with current trends for vintage and literary names, making it a distinctive choice for parents seeking a name with depth and history.
Celie is best known as a character from Alice Walker's 1982 novel 'The Color Purple', where the name may have been adapted from the word 'celie' (a variant of 'celia') or created as a unique spelling. Prior to the novel, the name saw rare use in the United States, first recorded in the 1880s. It is often considered a short form of Cecilia or Celia, both of Latin origin meaning 'heavenly'.
“Celie” around the world
Where Celie lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
10
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Variants: Ceelie, Seelie
Sibling names for Celie
Names that share Celie's style, for a brother or sister.
