Cedric
Cedric is a boys' name of English origin meaning “bounty, pattern of leadership.” It ranked #940 in the United States in 2025. Coined or revived by Sir Walter Scott in his 1819 novel Ivanhoe for the Saxon character Cedric of Rotherwood.
how do you pronounce Cedric?
SED-rik
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Cedric mean?
The name Cedric means “bounty, pattern of leadership.” It comes from the English language tradition.
Coined or revived by Sir Walter Scott in his 1819 novel Ivanhoe for the Saxon character Cedric of Rotherwood. It may derive from a misreading of the Saxon name Cerdic. Later adopted broadly through Frances Hodgson Burnett's Little Lord Fauntleroy.
where does the name Cedric come from?
Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree Cedric was invented by Sir Walter Scott for his 1819 novel Ivanhoe. Wiktionary offers two theories: that Scott misread it for Cerdic, the name of a Saxon king anglicized from a Welsh word, or that he based it on a name meaning 'spectacular bounty' — likely the source of the 'bounty' sense given elsewhere, though 'pattern of leadership' is not confirmed by anything found here.
the history of Cedric
Wiktionary notes the name was also used for a later literary character, Cedric Errol, extending its use beyond Ivanhoe.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #940 |
| 2022 | #961 |
| 2020 | #969 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Cedric?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Cedric?
- Cedric the Entertainer
- Cedric Diggory (fictional)
what names are similar to Cedric?
what names go well with Cedric?
Sibling names that share Cedric's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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