Celina, Céline

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: “heavenly.”
• Gender: French
• Fr (SAY-leen); Eng (seh-LEEN; seh-LEE-nah; seh-LIE-nah); It (chay-LEE-nah); Pol (tse-LEE-nah)

The name is derived from the old Roman family name Caelinus which is related to the Latin Caelius meaning “heavenly.” In this case the name Celia is related. It has also sometimes been considered a contraction of Marcelina and Marcéline.

The name was borne by St. Céline of Laon, a 5th-century Frankish saint, who mothered St. Rémi. It was also borne by St. Céline of Meaux, another 5th-century Frankish saint who was the companion of St. Genevieve. Due to their cult, the name has always been prevalent in French-speaking countries.

Céline was particularly fashionable in France during the second half of the 20th century. Its popularity culminated between 1978-1980, when it was the most popular female name in France. It subsequently declined considerably, although it has recently shown signs of renewed use. In 2025, it ranked as the 258th most popular female name in France.

The name was also formerly very popular in Belgium. Céline ranked #99 in Belgium in 2003, but by 2024 it ranked #208. Its rankings in other countries are as follows:

• # 50 (Sweden, 2025)
• # 53 (Italy, 2024)
• # 97 (Canada, 2025)
• # 207 (United States, 2025)
• # 208 (Belgium, 2024)
• # 235 (England & Wales)

Both Celine and Celina have also enjoyed considerable use in Norway. Celina was particularly fashionable around the turn of the 21st century, reaching the Norwegian Top 100, although neither form appears among Norway’s Top 50 girls’ names in 2025.

In the United States, Celine has experienced a striking revival. After falling out of the Top 1000 following its #998 ranking in 2007, it returned in 2012 and has risen almost continuously since then. It ranked #823 in 2015, #459 in 2020, #300 in 2023 and #207 in 2025. Celina, meanwhile, returned to the U.S. Top 1000 at #970 in 2024 and rose sharply to approximately #827–829 in 2025.

Celina currently ranks in as the 94th most popular female name in Poland (2025).

The name’s most famous bearer is undoubtedly Canadian singer Céline Dion (b. 1968). Other notable bearers include French actress Céline Bonnier (b. 1965), French actress and filmmaker Céline Sciamma (b. 1978), French novelist Céline Minard (b. 1969) and French politician Céline Calvez (b. 1979). The masculine Céline is also familiar as the pen name of French writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1894–1961).

In fiction, Céline is the name of the French heroine portrayed by Julie Delpy in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy: Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013).

Other forms and usage:

• Celina (Danish, Dutch, English, Gascon, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Provencal, Spanish, Swedish)
• Celine (Dutch, German, English, Norwegian, Portuguese-brazilian, Swedish)
• Selina (English)
• Céline (French)
• Caelina (Latin)

The designated name-day in France is October 21 and in Norway it is February 21st.

A rare Italian masculine form is Celino.

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/celine
• https://www.behindthename.com/name/celina
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9line
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9line_de_Meaux
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9line_de_Laon