Priscilla

Where Priscilla comes from

Feminine diminutive form of a Roman cognomen Prīscus, from Latin prīscus (“former, ancient, old-fashioned”). Compare typologically Seneca (< Latin Seneca < senex).
— Wiktionary's entry for Priscilla
  • Latin
  • 3 syllables
  • Vowel-ended
Priscilla through the years
  1. 1816
    Priscilla Cooper Tyler born
    First Lady of The United States from 1842 to 1844
  2. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #309 among girls, with 26 babies in the first year on record.
  3. 1940
    Peak, #127
    1,970 babies named Priscilla, its best rank.
  4. 1945
    Priscilla Presley born
    American actress and businesswoman
  5. 1965
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births, down to #283.
In the dictionary
  • A female given name from Latin of biblical origin.
Namesakes
  • Priscilla Presley · American actress and businesswoman, born 1945
  • Priscilla Cooper Tyler · First Lady of The United States from 1842 to 1844, 1816–1889
  • Priscilla Chan · American pediatrician and philanthropist, born 1985
  • Priscilla Lane · American actress, 1915–1995
  • Priscilla Pointer · American actress, 1924–2025

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.