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
Along the way
  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 — 26 babies in the first year on record.
  3. 1940
    Peak, #127
    1,970 babies named Priscilla — more than any year before or since.
  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.