Cirilla is a feminine form related to Cyril, from Greek kyrios meaning 'lord' or 'master,' transmitted through Latin forms.
Cirilla is the feminine form of Cyril, itself from the Greek Kyrillos, derived from kyrios meaning lord or master. The name entered history primarily through Saint Cyril, the ninth-century Byzantine missionary who, along with his brother Methodius, evangelized the Slavic peoples and — crucially — invented the Glagolitic alphabet to give those peoples a written language in which to read scripture. The Cyrillic alphabet used today across Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, and dozens of other languages is named in his honor, making Cyril's legacy arguably the most typographically consequential of any saint's.
To carry a form of this name is to carry, unknowingly, the history of literacy itself. In contemporary popular culture, Cirilla has become widely known through The Witcher, the Polish fantasy saga created by Andrzej Sapkowski beginning in 1986. Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon of Cintra — universally called Ciri — is one of the central characters: a child of destiny with extraordinary magical powers, pursued across a continent, protected by the monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia.
Sapkowski's choice of the name was deliberate, evoking Slavic and Byzantine roots appropriate for his Central European-inspired fantasy world. The Netflix adaptation that began in 2019 brought Ciri to global audiences, making Cirilla recognizable to millions who may never have encountered its ecclesiastical origins. As a given name, Cirilla is extremely rare outside Slavic countries, which makes it a distinctive choice in English-speaking contexts. It offers the appealing nickname Ciri, sounds both regal and lyrical, and carries layered meaning: the mastery of language through Saint Cyril, the fierce independence of Sapkowski's princess, and the simple beauty of four syllables that move from the crisp initial C to a gentle, open final a.