Name of the Week

 

From Ivanhoe to Harry Potter, Cedric 
is a gallant literary choice with medieval flair.

 

Origin:

Cedric is a literary adaption, created by Sir Walter Scott for his novel Ivanhoe (1819).   Most commonly, it is assumed that Scott based Cedric on (or misspelled) Cerdic, the name of the legendary founder of the Kingdom of Wessex (d.534). Most likely, Cerdic is Celtic in origin, a form of Ceretic, a name borne by, Ceretic Guletic (Coroticus), a king of Strathclyde  c.450 and Ceretic of Elmet/Ceredig ap Gwallog, the last king of Elmet (d. c. 617). Ceretic itself is a relative of the Welsh Caradog, Anglian Caradoc and Latin Caractacus. Caratacus (d.c.50 AD) was the famous British chieftain who resisted Roman occupation. The name is certainly ancient Celtic in origin, often reconstructed as *Caratācos in Brythonic Celtic. It most likely derives from the ProtoCeltic *karo, a verb meaning "to love" and adjective "dear, beloved" (related to *karant "friend") and the common Celtic suffix *-ako, now found in the Welsh -og and Irish -ach.  Another theory is that Scott based Cedric on the Welsh name Cedrych, from ced "bounty, boon" and drych "appearance, aspect, spectacle." The name is not common, however, Welsh legend has preserved the name Cedrych ap Gwaethfoed, Lord of Cardigan (fl. 1000).

Usage:

Cedric saw modest use with the publication of Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe in 1819. It gradually picked up usage over the course of the 19th century, becoming more mainstream in the 1880s. This was no doubt, in part, due to the popularity of Frances Hodgson Burnett's Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886) and its subsequent stage debut, in which the principle character was named Cedric Errol, though it had already been picking up usage by that time.  Birth registrations in England and Wales for Cedric are as follows: 1840: 1 birth; 1845: 3 births 1850: 3 births; 1855: 2 births 1860: 3 births; 1865: 1 birth 1870: 4 births; 1875: 4 births 1880: 6 births; 1882: 10 births; 1884: 9 births; 1886: 8 births; 1888: 29 births  1890: 60 births; 1895: 49 births 1900: 41 births; 1905: 89 births; 1910: 70 births In terms of popularity, that put Cedric at #203 in 1890 and #244 in 1900.  According the Leslie Dunkling, in the 20th century Cedric reached its peak in both 1925 and 1935 when 8 in every 10,000 boys received the name, a rise from 2 in every 10,000 in 1900. The figure then dropped back down to 2 by 1950, after which it dropped out of his rankings.  Since 1996, Cedric has had a birth count of between 3 and 11 each year in England and Wales, peaking at #1859 in 2009.  In 2012, Cedric ranked #2721 (7 births) in England and Wales and #1191 (1 birth) in Scotland.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Cedric Morris (1889–1982), Welsh painter. * Cedric Hardwicke (1893–1964), British actor. * Cedric Belfrage (1904–1990), British writer Contemporary: * Cedric Kyles "Cedric the Entertainer" (b. 1964), American actor and comedian. Literature and Media: * Cedric the Saxon, character in Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819). * Cedric Errol, character in Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886). * Cedric Diggory, character in J.K. Rowlings' Harry Potter series.

Variants:

Cerdic, Cedrick

Pronunciation:

SED-rik [key]

Possible diminutives:

Rick, Dec, Dex

Sibling Names:

Sybil     Lena     Maud     Ida     Lilla     Millicent    Douglas     Hector     Ralph     Silas     Fergus     Duncan

Name Lists:

Upright Elegance    Funky-Clunky    Victorian Darlings    Names from Harry Potter

 

If you like Cedric you may also like:   Aidric, Idris, Felix, Rhodri, Basil, Leon, Conrad, Hendrik, Edgar, Lance

 

Thanks to Janet for requesting this post.