girls' name ★ peaked 1942

Priscilla

Meaning former, ancient, old-fashioned Gender Girl Rank 2025 #544 Trend → Stable

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

Rank 2025
#544
among girls · ↑69 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
555
named Priscilla · +14% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,896
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1942
1,998 babies
All-time total
123,040
#323 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Priscilla popularity over time

123,040 babies have been named Priscilla since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 375 – 375 38 – #298
1890s 589 – 589 59 +57% #343
1900s 937 – 937 94 +59% #321
1910s 3,378 – 3,378 338 +261% #269
1920s 8,084 11 8,095 810 +140% #212
1930s 8,538 12 8,550 855 +6% #148
1940s 18,125 40 18,165 1,817 +112% #127
1950s 14,241 16 14,257 1,426 -22% #169
1960s 10,338 23 10,361 1,036 -27% #252
1970s 9,114 28 9,142 914 -12% #209
1980s 16,006 77 16,083 1,608 +76% #156
1990s 14,493 37 14,530 1,453 -10% #167
2000s 9,599 – 9,599 960 -34% #273
2010s 6,073 – 6,073 607 -37% #476
2020s (to 2025) 2,906 – 2,906 484 -20% #544

Where Priscilla is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 556 0.35 outside top 500
2027 558 0.35 outside top 500
2028 559 0.35 outside top 500
2029 560 0.35 outside top 500
2030 561 0.35 outside top 500

Where Priscilla is most popular

Girls named Priscilla per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.294 per 1,000. Strongest in Missouri, California, and Arizona.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Priscilla born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Missouri 65 0.539 +84%
California 451 0.537 +83%
Arizona 75 0.535 +82%
Kentucky 44 0.514 +75%
Nevada 22 0.474 +61%
Indiana 66 0.470 +60%
Minnesota 49 0.454 +55%
Illinois 99 0.432 +47%
Texas 287 0.357 +21%
Georgia 78 0.343 +17%
Massachusetts 41 0.339 +15%
Tennessee 52 0.328 +12%
South Carolina 29 0.323 +10%
Florida 129 0.301 ≈ national
Oklahoma 22 0.299 ≈ national
Colorado 33 0.296 ≈ national
North Carolina 65 0.285 ≈ national
Washington 41 0.284 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 66 0.279 -5%
Oregon 18 0.276 -6%
Arkansas 14 0.265 -10%
Ohio 62 0.261 -11%
Virginia 44 0.258 -12%
Michigan 47 0.258 -12%
New York 102 0.258 -12%
Maryland 27 0.255 -13%
Wisconsin 26 0.252 -14%
New Mexico 6 0.247 -16%
Iowa 14 0.240 -18%
Utah 16 0.192 -35%
Kansas 11 0.191 -35%
New Jersey 34 0.188 -36%
Nebraska 5 0.139 -53%
Alabama 13 0.138 -53%
Louisiana 7 0.080 -73%
Alaska – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Priscilla

Priscilla is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #544 in 2025 with 555 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 123,040 American babies have been named Priscilla. Its peak came in 1942, when 1,998 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Priscilla stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Priscilla?

The median living Priscilla is about 44 years old; half are between 29 and 68. An estimated 93 thousand people named Priscilla are alive in the United States today.

median 44 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Priscilla year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 555 #544 – –
2024 487 #613 – –
2023 452 #650 – –
2022 411 #714 – –
2021 478 #622 – –
2020 523 #563 – –
2019 487 #618 – –
2018 535 #577 – –
2017 592 #527 – –
2016 669 #476 – –
2015 636 #501 – –
2014 652 #483 – –
2013 637 #479 – –
2012 632 #488 – –
2011 612 #485 – –
2010 621 #486 – –
2009 772 #413 – –
2008 777 #413 – –
2007 876 #374 – –
2006 874 #374 – –
2005 909 #346 – –
2004 921 #347 – –
2003 1,080 #288 – –
2002 1,090 #285 – –
2001 1,130 #279 – –
2000 1,170 #273 – –
1995 1,307 #215 – –
1990 1,754 #167 7 #6,975
1985 1,701 #167 14 #3,344
1980 1,432 #187 7 #5,365
1975 722 #317 – –
1970 936 #304 7 #4,139
1965 945 #284 – –
1960 1,215 #252 8 #3,269
1955 1,280 #226 – –
1950 1,672 #169 – –
1945 1,412 #166 – –
1940 1,970 #127 8 #2,820
1935 774 #223 – –
1930 824 #213 5 #4,429
1925 830 #224 – –
1920 637 #260 – –
1915 392 #292 – –
1910 142 #324 – –
1905 88 #361 – –
1900 110 #323 – –
1895 63 #352 – –
1890 40 #404 – –
1885 32 #362 – –
1880 26 #315 – –

Famous people named Priscilla

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Priscilla Presley Priscilla Presley American businesswoman and actress (born 1945) Contemporary
  2. 2 Priscilla Chan Priscilla Chan American pediatrician and philanthropist (born 1985) Contemporary
  3. 3 Priscilla Barnes Priscilla Barnes American actress b. 1954 · Contemporary
  4. 4 Priscilla Pointer Priscilla Pointer American actress (1924–2025) Contemporary
  5. 5 Priscilla Lane Priscilla Lane American actress (1915–1995) Contemporary
  6. 6 Priscilla Cooper Tyler Priscilla Cooper Tyler First Lady of the United States from 1842 to 1844 1816–1889 · 19th century
  7. 7 Priscilla Lopes-Schliep Priscilla Lopes-Schliep Canadian hurdler (born 1982) Contemporary
  8. 8 Priscilla Dean Priscilla Dean American actress (1896–1987) 19th century
  9. 9 Priscilla Gneto Priscilla Gneto French judoka (born 1991) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Priscilla, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Priscilla?

The median living Priscilla is about 44 years old. Half of all living Priscillas are between 29 and 68 years old.

How many people named Priscilla are alive today?

An estimated 93 thousand people named Priscilla are alive in the United States, based on 123,040 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Priscilla mean?

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

How popular is the name Priscilla in 2025?

Priscilla ranked #544 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 555 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Priscilla?

123,040 babies have been named Priscilla in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Priscilla most popular?

Priscilla peaked in 1942, when 1,998 newborns received the name.

Is Priscilla a boy or girl name?

Priscilla is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Priscilla rising or falling?

Priscilla is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Priscilla become more popular?

Priscilla looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 561 girls named Priscilla in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Priscilla?

Well-known people named Priscilla include Priscilla Presley (companion), Priscilla Chan (physician), Priscilla Barnes (actor).

Names like Priscilla

Names that sound and feel close to Priscilla: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Priscilla with similar names → More names starting with P →