Priscilla
Priscilla was the 544th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 555 babies. Its best year was 1940, when it ranked 127th; the most babies were born in 1942 (1,988). Over the last ten years it has moved down 43 places. More babies were named Priscilla in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning from Prisca, 'old, ancient' (Latin) · Latin
Say it prih-SIL-uh /prɪˈsɪlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #544 girls, up 19 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 555girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19421,988 babies
- Total since 1880
- 123,040babies recorded
What does the name Priscilla mean?
Priscilla is a Latin diminutive of Prisca, the feminine of the Roman surname Priscus, old or ancient. DMNES and Wiktionary agree on this; Wiktionary glosses priscus as former, ancient or old-fashioned. In the New Testament, Priscilla and her husband Aquila are Jewish Christians who work with the apostle Paul (Acts 18:2, Romans 16:3). DMNES notes that the name came into use with the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century; the Wycliffite Bible had spelled it Priscille.
Prīscilla (Latin, “diminutive of Prisca”)prīscus (Latin, “old, ancient, former”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Prisca, Cilla, Priscila, Prissy.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Priscilla', DMNES (Durham University)
- Acts 18:2 (New Testament), King James Version, via Bible Gateway, Bible Gateway (KJV, public domain)
- Romans 16:3 (New Testament), King James Version, via Bible Gateway, Bible Gateway (KJV, public domain)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Priscilla' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
Nicknames for Priscilla
The usual nicknames for Priscilla are Cilla and Prissy.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cilla | Traditional | — | — |
| Prissy | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Priscillas go by each one.
Priscilla popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 244 since 1923.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #544 | 555 |
| 2020 | #563 | 523 |
| 2010 | #486 | 621 |
| 2000 | #273 | 1,170 |
| 1990 | #167 | 1,754 |
| 1980 | #187 | 1,432 |
| 1970 | #304 | 936 |
| 1960 | #252 | 1,215 |
| 1950 | #169 | 1,672 |
| 1940 | #127 | 1,970 |
| 1930 | #213 | 824 |
| 1920 | #260 | 637 |
| 1910 | #324 | 142 |
| 1900 | #323 | 110 |
| 1890 | #404 | 40 |
| 1880 | #315 | 26 |
How popular is Priscilla, counting every spelling?
Priscilla is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #484 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #544 for Priscilla on its own. Together these spellings went to 658 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priscilla | 555 | #544 | 2,383 |
| Priscila | 84 | #2,211 | 398 |
| Pricilla | 13 | #8,235 | 48 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Priscilla?
555 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Priscilla (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Priscilla born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Priscilla.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Priscilla?
About 89,100 people born in the US named Priscilla are alive today, with a median age of 44; half are between 30 and 68. That makes Priscilla mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Priscilla by state
How common Priscilla was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Missouri (1.8×), California (1.8×), Arizona (1.8×), Kentucky (1.8×), Nevada (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Alabama, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Priscilla: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Priscilla, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Priscilla · Sibling names for Priscilla
Questions about the name Priscilla
What does Priscilla mean?
Priscilla means “from Prisca, 'old, ancient' (Latin)” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Priscilla?
Priscilla was the 544th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 555 babies. Its best year was 1940, when it ranked 127th; the most babies were born in 1942 (1,988). Over the last ten years it has moved down 43 places. More babies were named Priscilla in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Priscilla a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Priscilla in the US.
Where is Priscilla most popular?
In 2021–2025, Priscilla was most common in Missouri (0.54 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and Arizona.