Total births
19,393
Girls' name · since 1897
Precious
Precious has 19,393 recorded births since 1897 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2001 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2561
- among girls today
- 19,393
- born since 1897
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other girls
Precious currently ranks #2561 among girls' names in America, with 19,393 babies recorded since 1897.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Precious has been recorded 19,393 times among girls since 1897, currently ranked #2561 nationally and more common than 86% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1897 to 2025.
- #2561 among girls today
- 19,393 born since 1897
- 1990s peak decade
- 86% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Precious is currently the #2561 girls' name in America, more common than 86% of girls - 19,393 born since 1897, peaking in the 1990s.
- #2561
- among girls today
- 19,393
- born since 1897
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 86%
- more common than other girls
Precious vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#2561
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 86% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
33% of everyone ever named Precious was born in this single decade.
2001
Single peak year
746 babies were named Precious in 2001 - its busiest year on record.
How Precious compares
19,393 Top 6% higher than 94% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Precious's all-time total is 51x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Precious | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 19,393 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 746 | 48 | 19,840 |
Precious's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Precious splits its recorded history at 1963: 95% of all births land in the more recent half, 5% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1898 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2001 peak of 746 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Precious at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2001
Current rank
#2,561
Active since
1897
Precious popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1897–2025
- Peak year (2001)
- 746
- Annual births at peak, across 129 years of records
Precious popularity over time - boys
147 total births recorded since 1916 (Precious as boys' name)
Precious by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Precious's strongest decade.
6,305 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Precious births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 11
1890s
11 births
- 1900s 55
1900s
55 births
- 1910s 113
1910s
113 births
- 1920s 208
1920s
208 births
- 1930s 138
1930s
138 births
- 1940s 168
1940s
168 births
- 1950s 165
1950s
165 births
- 1960s 326
1960s
326 births
- 1970s 1,020
1970s
1,020 births
- 1980s
1980s
3,555 births
- 1990s
1990s
6,305 births
- 2000s
2000s
5,454 births
- 2010s 1,456
2010s
1,456 births
- 2020s 419
2020s
419 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 6,305 births (33% of all-time use).
How Precious compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Precious's total volume
Precious vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Precious by state
Where Precious concentrates geographically, total births since 1897
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 2,141 | 11.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 1,454 | 7.5% |
| #3 | New York | | 1,344 | 6.9% |
| #4 | Florida | | 1,214 | 6.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 991 | 5.1% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 919 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 739 | 3.8% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 721 | 3.7% |
California share of Precious's total US births 11.0%
Even split
2,141 of 19,393 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.
Precious appears in 39 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Precious? ▼
Since 1897, Social Security records show 19,393 babies named Precious. Today it holds rank #2561 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 2001, with 746 births.
When was Precious most popular? ▼
Precious was most popular in the 1990s decade with 6,305 total births. The single peak year was 2001.
Where is Precious most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Precious are California (2,141 births), Texas (1,454 births), New York (1,344 births).
How long has the name Precious been used? ▼
Precious has been recorded in Social Security data since 1897, spanning 129 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Precious? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Presley, Preslee, Presleigh, Preslie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Precious's data
- Precious's decade-level peak was the 1990s (6,305 total births); usage has since declined to 419 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Preciouss (2,141 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Precious
Nearby Names Like Precious
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Precious
Presley Girl
#225 31,778 births
Preslee Girl
#1790 3,717 births
Presleigh Girl
#2407 2,123 births
Preslie Girl
#4839 1,765 births
Prescilla Girl
1,037 births
Compare Precious side by side: Precious vs Presley Precious vs Preslee Precious vs Presleigh
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Precious
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1897–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Precious: #2561 Girls' Name - 19,393 Births, Peak 2001." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/precious. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Precious draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.