 An illustration from Little Lord Fauntleroy, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. A character in the children’s novel helped popularize the name Cedric. | |
| Gender | Unisex |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | English |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | Literary, invented name |
Cedric (/ˈsɛdrɪk/) is a given name invented by Walter Scott in the 1819 novel Ivanhoe.[1]
The invented name is based on Cerdic, the name of a 6th-century Anglo-Saxon king (itself from Brittonic Coroticus).
The name was not popularly used until the children's book Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett was published in 1885 to 1886, the protagonist of which is called Cedric Errol. The book was highly successful, causing a fashion trend in children's formal dress in America and popularized the given name. People named Cedric born in the years following the novel's publication include British naval officer Cedric Holland (1889–1950), American war pilot Cedric Fauntleroy (1891–1973), Irish art director Austin Cedric Gibbons (1893–1960) and British actor Cedric Hardwicke (1893–1964).
The name has ranked among the top 1,000 names for boys in the United States at different points since 1903. It ranked 958th on the popularity chart in 2022.[2] It is a name used for both sexes in French-speaking countries. It ranked among the top 500 names for boys in France between 1960 and 2010. It also ranked among the most used names for girls in France between 1966 and 1998. It was among the 100 most used names for boys in Quebec, Canada between 1980 and 2013. It ranked among the most popular names for children of both sexes in Belgium at different points in the 1990s and in the 2000s. It was among the top 100 names for boys in Switzerland between 1998 and 2004.[3]
Cedric Diggory is a character in the Harry Potter novel series by J.K. Rowling and films based on the novels.
The name was also applied to Nissan's executive car between 1960 and 2004 (private use) and 2015 (taxi) as Nissan Cedric.
For the Moto G5 smartphone was Cedric as codename applied.
