# Priscilla (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/priscilla/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | girls |
| Origin | Latin |
| Meaning | “former”, “ancient”, “old-fashioned” |
| Pronunciation | /pɹɪˈsɪlə/, 3 syllables |
| Nicknames | Prissy |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 123,040 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 244 / 122,796 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 835, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Feminine diminutive form of a Roman cognomen Prīscus, from Latin prīscus (“former, ancient, old-fashioned”). Compare typologically Seneca (< Latin Seneca < senex).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 612 | 485 |
| 2012 | 632 | 488 |
| 2013 | 637 | 479 |
| 2014 | 652 | 483 |
| 2015 | 636 | 501 |
| 2016 | 669 | 476 |
| 2017 | 592 | 527 |
| 2018 | 535 | 577 |
| 2019 | 487 | 618 |
| 2020 | 523 | 563 |
| 2021 | 478 | 622 |
| 2022 | 411 | 714 |
| 2023 | 452 | 650 |
| 2024 | 487 | 613 |
| 2025 | 555 | 544 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 6 | 5,594 |
| 1980 | 7 | 5,365 |
| 1981 | 5 | 7,016 |
| 1982 | 6 | 6,201 |
| 1983 | 10 | 4,076 |
| 1984 | 8 | 4,863 |
| 1985 | 14 | 3,344 |
| 1986 | 8 | 5,217 |
| 1987 | 11 | 4,172 |
| 1989 | 8 | 6,082 |
| 1990 | 7 | 6,975 |
| 1991 | 14 | 4,174 |
| 1992 | 5 | 9,456 |
| 1994 | 5 | 9,880 |
| 1997 | 6 | 8,980 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 22 | 1,374 |
| 2012 | 19 | 1,583 |
| 2013 | 17 | 1,707 |
| 2014 | 29 | 1,177 |
| 2015 | 22 | 1,452 |
| 2016 | 22 | 1,472 |
| 2017 | 27 | 1,258 |
| 2018 | 29 | 1,170 |
| 2019 | 29 | 1,153 |
| 2020 | 19 | 1,556 |
| 2021 | 27 | 1,224 |
| 2022 | 33 | 1,023 |
| 2023 | 40 | 888 |
| 2024 | 48 | 776 |
| 2025 | 56 | 667 |

## In other languages

- Dutch: Priscilla
- French: Priscille
- German: Priszilla, Priscilla
- Greek: Πρίσκιλλα
- Polish: Pryscylla
- Portuguese: Priscila
- Russian: Приски́лла, Присци́лла
- Hindi: प्रिस्किल्ला
- Spanish: Priscila

## People named Priscilla

- Priscilla Presley, American actress and businesswoman
- Priscilla Chan, American pediatrician and philanthropist
- Priscilla Cooper Tyler, First Lady of The United States from 1842 to 1844
- Priscilla Lane, American actress (1915–1995)
- Priscilla Pointer, American actress (1924–2025)
- Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, Canadian athletics competitor (born 1982)
- Priscilla Dean, American actress (1896–1987)
- Priscilla Barnes, American actress (born 1953)
- Priscilla Gneto, French judoka
- Priscilla Betti, French singer and actress
- Priscilla Lawson, actress (1914-1958)
- Priscilla Kelly, American professional wrestler

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.