Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. It was named for Cęcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605-1675), who was the first Proprietary Governor of the colony of Maryland from 1632 until his death in 1675. The county seat is Elkton. The newspaper of record is The Cecil Whig . As of 2000, the population was 85,951.

As of the census² of 2000, there were 85,951 people, 31,223 households, and 23,292 families residing in the county. The population density was 95/km² (247/mi²). There were 34,461 housing units at an average density of 38/km² (99/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.39% White, 3.91% Black or African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.69% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 1.52% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.