US rank #615 Girls' name Peak 1942 122,234 births

Priscilla — #615 US girls' name

122,234 babies named Priscilla in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1942. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s3751890s5891900s9371910s33781920s80841930s85381940s181251950s142411960s103391970s91141980s160051990s144932000s95992010s60712020s2346
#615
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 97% of names given to girls today.

1940s
Peak decade

15% of everyone ever named Priscilla was born in this single decade.

1942
Single peak year

1,988 babies were named Priscilla in 1942 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Priscilla

The Social Security Administration has registered 122,234 babies named Priscilla between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Priscilla currently holds the #615 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1942, when 1,988 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Priscilla performed strongest in the 1940s, accumulating 18,125 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Priscilla shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 19,178 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Texas and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Priscilla in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Priscilla in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 122,234 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Priscilla at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

122,234

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1942

1,988 births that year

Strongest decade: 1940s

Current rank

#615

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Priscilla popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1942)
1,988
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,5002,0002,500 202420051986196719481929191018911880 26

Priscilla popularity over time — boys

244 total births recorded since 1923 (Priscilla as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 244 births
46810121416 19971989198319741960194319301923 6

Priscilla by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1940s
Peak decade
1940s
18,125 births that decade — 15% of Priscilla's all-time total
1880s3751890s5891900s9371910s33781920s80841930s85381940s181251950s142411960s103391970s91141980s160051990s144932000s95992010s60712020s2346

Priscilla by state

Where Priscilla concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Priscilla
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
19,178 15.7%
#2 Texas
15,604 12.8%
#3 New York
8,911 7.3%
#4 Massachusetts
6,822 5.6%
#5 Florida
4,550 3.7%
#6 Pennsylvania
4,430 3.6%
#7 Illinois
4,343 3.6%
#8 North Carolina
3,368 2.8%
California share of Priscilla's total US births 15.7%
Even split

19,178 of 122,234 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?
122,234 babies have been named Priscilla since 1880. It currently ranks #615 among girls. The peak year was 1942 with 1,988 births.
When was Priscilla most popular?
Priscilla was most popular in the 1940s decade with 18,125 total births. The single peak year was 1942.
Where is Priscilla most popular?
The top states for the name Priscilla are California (19,178 births), Texas (15,604 births), New York (8,911 births).
How long has the name Priscilla been used?
Priscilla has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Priscilla?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Princess, Priya, Priscila, Pricilla, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Priscilla

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.