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Priscilla

girl name
Origin
Latin
Syllables
3
Peak era
1990s/2010s
Today
▬ Steady

Torn between Priscilla and another name? Compare them side by side →

Meaning

from Latin 'priscus', 'ancient/old-fashioned'; a diminutive of Prisca, named in the New Testament

Goes by Cilla. See all nicknames

The story

Priscilla is Latin priscus, ancient, made affectionate: a diminutive of Prisca, the form Paul actually uses for the tentmaker and teacher named throughout the New Testament. Its American curve is a slow crescendo, present from the 1890s, gathering through mid-century, and reaching its strongest band from the 1990s through the 2010s, kept warm along the way by bearers from scripture study to Priscilla Presley and the Spanish-language Priscila. Cilla stands ready as its inside-the-house short. A name whose literal meaning is old-fashioned turning its best decades a century into its American run is the kind of joke the record tells rarely and well. It carries literary posture with a soft landing, formal on the page yet easy in the kitchen. The vintage revival has been circling names of exactly this temperament, and Priscilla sits squarely in its path.

More names with stories →

How popular is Priscilla around the world?

In the United States, 2,906 babies were named Priscilla between 2020 and 2025. In Montevideo, 10 girls named Priscilla were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

Priscilla is on the official records of the United States, Montevideo, England and Wales, Canada, Ireland, Brazil, Scotland, Chile, South Australia, Mexico City, France, Spain and Argentina.

United States

1 in 7,500

In the United States, 2,906 babies were named Priscilla between 2020 and 2025.

1890speak 1990s

Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Priscilla peaked in the 1990s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.

Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration

See the full list for the United States →

Montevideo City

1 in 2,500 · 2011

In Montevideo, 10 girls named Priscilla were born in 2011, spelling variants counted together.

1940peak 2008

share of that year’s births on record

Births in the department of Montevideo (not all of Uruguay) by first name and year of birth, 1940–2011, from the city’s civil registry, which writes names in capitals, almost always without accents; counted as spelling groups (accent and punctuation variants merged), nothing is withheld at source, and 2012 is excluded as a partial year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil, Intendencia de Montevideo, Partidas de Registro Civil de Montevideo (Licencia de Datos Abiertos - Uruguay); 2012 dropped as partial

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England and Wales

1 in 10,000

In England and Wales, 56 girls named Priscilla were born in 2025, the 667th most common name among girls that year.

1996peak 2025

share of that year’s name registrations

Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales

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Canada

1 in 13,000

In Canada, 29 girls named Priscilla were born in 2024, the 934th most common name among girls that year.

peak 19932024

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)

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Ireland

1 in 14,000

In Ireland, 4 girls named Priscilla were born in 2025, the 718th most common name among girls that year.

1964peak 19812025

share of that year’s name registrations

Exact registered spellings from Irish vital statistics; any name under 3 in a year is withheld at source, and accented spellings (fadas) are recorded reliably only from 2018. Source: Central Statistics Office (Ireland), Irish babies' names

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Brazil

1 in 14,000

At the 2022 census, 14,868 people in Brazil were named Priscilla, ranked 1,297th, with a median age of 35.
Among people named Priscilla living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.

1940speak 1980s2010s

people alive at the 2022 census, by decade of birth

The census also counted 145 born between 2020 and August 2022, too recent a span to chart. People alive and resident in Brazil at the 2022 census, a living-population count, not births; names under 20 are withheld at source. Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022

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Scotland

1 in 15,000

In Scotland, 3 girls named Priscilla were registered in 2024, the 790th most common name among girls that year.
The count never rose above 5 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names

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Chile

1 in 18,000

In Chile, 10 girls were registered as Priscilla in 2021, every accent spelling counted together.

1920peak 19832021

share of that year’s name registrations

First-name registrations with Chile’s civil registry by year of registration, 1920–2021, counted as spelling groups (Sofía, Sofia and Sofìa are one name, shown with its most-registered spelling); the registry withholds nothing, nametree keeps the groups that reached 5 registrations in some year, and shares divide by every registration of the year. Source: Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación (Chile) via the guaguas package, first-name registrations 1920-2021

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South Australia

1 in 18,000 · 2017

In South Australia, 1 girl was registered as Priscilla in 2017.
The count never rose above 8 in a year, too few to chart.

Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names

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Mexico City City

1 in 59,000

In Mexico City, there were 2 registrations of Priscilla in 2022.

peak 20022022

share of that year’s registrations in the city

Civil-registry acts in Mexico City by registration year. Counts are lower bounds (names under 6 in a month and borough are removed at source) and count name-instances, not people; compound names are split, so “Maria Jose” counts under each part. 2023, a partial extract through 3 Mar with no cell on record for this name, is excluded. Source: Registro Civil of Mexico City, open data portal, registered given names 2000-2023

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France

1 in 64,000

In France, about 10 girls named Priscilla were born in 2025, ranked 2,852nd among girls that year.

1940peak 19852025

share of that year’s births on record

Births in France by year of birth, from INSEE’s fichier des prénoms (1900–2025; Mayotte from 2012); exact spellings count separately (Léo and Leo are different names), any spelling under 3 in a year and sex is withheld at source, every count is rounded to the nearest 5 at source, and nametree keeps the spellings that reached 20 in some year. Shares divide by INSEE’s count of births in France from 1957, and before that by the file’s own total for the year; INSEE says the file is not complete before 1946. Source: Insee, fichier des prénoms (last updated 2026-07-16)

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Spain

1 in 120,000

In Spain, 374 residents are named Priscilla, ranked 2,786th among women, with a mean age of 35 years.

Residents of Spain on 1 January 2025. Spain publishes how old a name’s living bearers are, not a birth series, so there is no year chart. Source: INE (Spain), Censo de Población anual, 1 January 2025

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Argentina

1 in 220,000

In Argentina, 3 newborns were given the name Priscilla in 2024.

peak 20122024

share of that year’s name registrations

Given-name components of births in Argentina 2012–2024; national cells are lower bounds and no sex split is published. Source: RENAPER (Argentina), Dirección Nacional de Población, given names 2012-2024

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Austria

last on record 2019

Priscilla is not on the 2025 record for Austria, which publishes every first name down to a single birth, so the name was not given there that year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.

Live births in Austria by year of birth, 1984–2025, from Statistik Austria’s first-name statistics; spellings that differ only by special characters are counted together (umlauts stay apart), every name down to a single birth is published, and the count covers babies with Austrian citizenship only until 2009, every baby from 2010, and from 2015 also births abroad to mothers living in Austria. Shares divide by Statistik Austria’s count of live births from 2010, and before that by the file’s own total for the year. Source: Statistik Austria - data.statistik.gv.at (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1, updated 2026-07-09)

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New Zealand

last on record 1995

Priscilla is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.

1940peak 19722025

share of that year’s name registrations

First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time

See the full list for New Zealand →

Poland

last on record 2017

Priscilla is not on the 2025 record for Poland, where names given fewer than 2 times in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.

First names given to children born in Poland by year of birth, 2000–2025, from the PESEL population register (Ministry of Digital Affairs); exact spellings count separately (Łukasz and Lukasz are different names), names given fewer than 5 times in a year were left off the list through 2012 and fewer than 2 times from 2013, and the register also counts children born abroad, so its yearly sums run above Poland’s live births. Shares divide by the register’s own published total for the year, never by births. Source: Ministry of Digital Affairs, PESEL register (dane.gov.pl)

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Puerto Rico

last on record 2012

Priscilla is not on the 2025 record for Puerto Rico, which withholds births under 5, and 103 babies have carried the name there since 1998.

peak 19982025

share of that year’s births on record

First given name only, from Social Security records of births in Puerto Rico; any name-sex-year under 5 births is withheld at source. Shares divide by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry’s count of births on the island; the 2025 count is provisional. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, territory name file (Puerto Rico)

See the full list for Puerto Rico →

Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.

All records: the most popular baby names around the world →

When you meet Priscilla

People given the name Priscilla in the United States span the generations: the middle half were born anywhere from 1950 to 1999. Age is the one thing the name won't tell you.

Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.

Names that fit alongside Priscilla

Elizabeth Emilia Victoria Lucy Olivia Anna

Where Priscilla travels

Chinese American · A documented choice in Chinese American families.

Keep exploring

Nicknames for Priscilla · Chinese American baby names

Name trails: explore connections from Priscilla →

The Priscilla deep dive

Written for you · $1.99 →

Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Priscilla truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Priscilla fits with your family’s names and surname.

Both reports, explained →

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