Cedric has one of the stranger origin stories in English naming: it was almost certainly invented by Walter Scott for his 1819 novel Ivanhoe, possibly as a misreading or creative adaptation of the Anglo-Saxon name Cerdic. Ranked #944 with a 1982 peak and 41,889 SSA records, it had a long run in 20th-century American naming and is now in the quiet zone where revival becomes possible.
Walter Scott's Invention
In Ivanhoe, Cedric is the Saxon nobleman and father of the titular hero — a proud, stubborn English patriot in an era of Norman conquerors. Scott likely adapted the historical Anglo-Saxon name Cerdic, the legendary founder of Wessex, changing it slightly (or misreading a manuscript) to create Cedric. Whatever its source, the name had the ring of antiquity and the seal of a beloved historical novel. It entered English-language use as a given name almost immediately after Ivanhoe's publication, which makes Cedric approximately 200 years old as a conventional given name — young by naming standards but old enough to feel established. Browse Welsh-origin names for related historical British options.
Cedric the Entertainer and 20th-Century America
Cedric peaked in 1982 in the U.S., where it had been consistently used since the early 20th century, particularly in Black American communities. Cedric the Entertainer — born Cedric Kyles in 1964 — became one of the most prominent carriers of the name, part of the Original Kings of Comedy alongside Steve Harvey and Bernie Mac. His decades of film and television work have kept Cedric culturally visible. The 1980s peak reflects its widest American use. Nickname Ced is natural and has its own distinct energy.
Counter-Reading: The "Fauntleroy" Association
Cedric Errol, the young hero of Frances Hodgson Burnett's Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), gave the name an early association with a rather precious Victorian child in velvet suits. That association faded across the 20th century, but Cedric does carry a certain formal, literary quality that may feel heavy for some families. At #944 and declining from its 1982 peak, it's in grandparent territory , though the 70-year revival cycle puts it in the frame for reconsideration in the 2040s-2050s. Compare Cedric vs. Clarence for a sense of the mid-century formal-name revival bracket.