Girls' name · since 1880
Priscilla
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 122,796 babies named Priscilla, peaking in 1942. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #323 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #544 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 122,796
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
Yes -- Priscilla is the #544 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 122,796 recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Priscilla has been recorded 122,796 times among girls since 1880, currently ranked #544 nationally and more common than 97% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1940s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #323 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #544 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 122,796 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Priscilla ranks #323 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #544 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 122,796 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #323 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #544 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 122,796
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
Priscilla's 122,796 recorded births place it above 99.55% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Priscilla compares
122,796 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,297 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
Priscilla's all-time total is 327x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Priscilla | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 122,796 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,988 | 21 | 19,840 |
Priscilla's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Priscilla's full recorded timeline at 1953, 63% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 37% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1880, with just 26 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1942 peak of 1,988 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Priscilla popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1942)
- 1,988
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Priscilla popularity over time - boys
244 total births recorded since 1923 (Priscilla as boys' name)
Priscilla by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (18,125 births, 15% of the file).
1940s was Priscilla's strongest decade.
18,125 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Priscilla births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 375
1880s
375 births
- 1890s 589
1890s
589 births
- 1900s 937
1900s
937 births
- 1910s 3,378
1910s
3,378 births
- 1920s
1920s
8,084 births
- 1930s
1930s
8,538 births
- 1940s
1940s
18,125 births
- 1950s
1950s
14,241 births
- 1960s
1960s
10,338 births
- 1970s
1970s
9,114 births
- 1980s
1980s
16,006 births
- 1990s
1990s
14,493 births
- 2000s
2000s
9,599 births
- 2010s 6,073
2010s
6,073 births
- 2020s 2,906
2020s
2,906 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 18,125 births (15% of all-time use).
How Priscilla 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 Priscilla's total volume
Priscilla by state
Where Priscilla concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 19,273 | 15.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 15,667 | 12.8% |
| #3 | New York | | 8,938 | 7.3% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 6,827 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Florida | | 4,591 | 3.7% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 4,440 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 4,366 | 3.6% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 3,383 | 2.8% |
19,273 of 122,796 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Priscilla appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Priscilla? ▼
Where does Priscilla sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Priscilla most popular? ▼
Where is Priscilla most popular? ▼
How long has the name Priscilla been used? ▼
What names are similar to Priscilla? ▼
What to do with Priscilla's data
- Priscilla's decade-level peak was the 1940s (18,125 total births); usage has since declined to 2,906 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Priscillas (19,273 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Priscilla
Nearby Names Like Priscilla
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Priscilla
Compare Priscilla side by side: Priscilla vs Princess Priscilla vs Priya Priscilla vs Priscila
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Priscilla
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Priscilla: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1942)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Priscilla 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 August 2026.