Cedric
Where Cedric comes from
Invented by Walter Scott for Ivanhoe, possibly misread for Cerdic, name of a Saxon king, anglicized from Welsh caredig (“beloved”), in which case a doublet of Caradoc, Caradog, Caratacus, Craddock, Cradock, McCarthy, and McCarty. Alternatively Scott based Cedric on the Welsh name Cedrych (“spectacular bounty”).
- Welsh
- 2 syllables
Along the way
- 1890First appearance#994 among boys, 5 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
- 1974Peak, #230903 babies named Cedric — more than any year before or since.
- 2003The fadeThe first year with half the peak's births — down to #542.
In the dictionary
- A male given name from Welsh.
Namesakes
No widely known Cedric turns up in the encyclopedias yet — the name is still all theirs to make famous.
Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.