Recent in Baby
When Baby Resists SolidsWhen Baby Resists SolidsBaby Biting TipsBaby Biting Tips5 Tips To Help Prevent Highchair Injuries5 Tips To Help Prevent Highchair InjuriesWhen Baby and Pet MeetWhen Baby and Pet MeetTreatments for ColicTreatments for ColicBaby Milestones – The First YearBaby Milestones – The First YearTips for Relieving Teething PainTips for Relieving Teething PainBenefits of Making Your Own Baby FoodBenefits of Making Your Own Baby Food

Home › Baby Names Directory › Sissy

Sissy

♀ Girl

Pronounced SIS-ee /ˈsɪsi/High

Meaning: Sissy began as an affectionate word for a sister, from a child's shortening of the word, and became a nickname carried by girls in many families. It has also served as a diminutive of Cecilia, Frances and Priscilla. As a birth name it reads as that endearment set down formally rather than a name with a single ancient root; its meaning is the family word 'sister'.Low

In 30 seconds: Sissy is a pet name from 'sister', also a diminutive of Cecilia or Frances. Warm and homey, it stayed rare as a birth name in America (said SIS-ee).
💕 Browse more names
Origin LowEnglish
MeaningSissy began as an affectionate word for a sister, from a child's shortening of the word, and became a nickname carried by girls in many families. It has also served as a diminutive of Cecilia, Frances and Priscilla. As a birth name it reads as that endearment set down formally rather than a name with a single ancient root; its meaning is the family word 'sister'.
U.S. rank (2013)#16277 ↗ Rising
2013 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1981
Total births (all-time)≈ 710

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 198119442013

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Sissy comes from a small child's word for sister, a household endearment that stuck as a lifelong nickname and, for some, a legal first name. It has doubled as a short form of Cecilia, Frances and Priscilla. Its warmth is Southern and homespun, the sound of a name earned at the kitchen table rather than the christening font.

As a birth name Sissy was never common, drawing only a couple of dozen girls a year around its quiet peak in the early nineteen-eighties, buoyed a little by the fame of actress Sissy Spacek. A girl given it then is in her forties now.

Did you know? Sissy started as the family word for a sister, the way Bubba came from brother, and became a given name most famously carried by the actress Sissy Spacek.
Overall data confidence 48%
References - Sissy — Endearment from 'sister'; diminutive of Cecilia/Frances/Priscilla; bearer Sissy Spacek

Variations

SissieCissyCissie

Nicknames

SisCece

Famous Bearers

  • ★Sissy Spacek (1949-)
    American actress, Oscar winner for Coal Miner's Daughter

If you like Sissy…

Cissy— a like spelling of the same endearment
Cece— a like Cecilia-based pet name
Frankie— another homey nickname carried as a name
Susy— another English name
Betsy— shares the -sy ending

Explore names like Sissy

By themeenglishvintagesouthernnickname

All themes →All meanings →All origins →

Frequently Asked

What does the name Sissy mean?

It comes from a child's word for 'sister' and also serves as a short form of Cecilia, Frances or Priscilla.

How do you pronounce Sissy?

It's said SIS-ee /ˈsɪsi/, two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Sissy a boy or girl name?

Sissy is used as a girl's name.

Is Sissy a popular name?

No, as a formal name it has always been rare, peaking quietly in the early nineteen-eighties.

💬 Ask Nia