UK girl's name
Pricilla
Of Latin origin, it means the ancient or venerable one.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2007. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Pricilla is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Pricilla popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2007 in this profile. In that release it ranked #5201, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2002, with 3 births.
This profile covers 6 England and Wales registrations across 2 recorded years from 2002 to 2007. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 6 living people in the UK are called Pricilla. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2008 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Pricilla ranked #5201 for girls in England and Wales in 2007, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2002, when 3 girls were registered as Pricilla.
- • About 6 living people in the UK are estimated to have Pricilla as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#5201
2007
Births in 2007
3
Latest year
Peak year
2002
3 births
Estimated living
6
2026
Meaning
What does Pricilla mean?
The name Pricilla originated from the Latin name Priscilla, which was a Roman family name derived from the word "priscus" meaning "ancient" or "old-fashioned." It was a common name among Roman women in ancient times.
In the New Testament of the Bible, Priscilla is mentioned as the wife of Aquila and a follower of Christianity. She is described as a teacher and missionary who helped spread the Christian faith in the 1st century AD. This early appearance of the name contributed to its popularity among early Christians.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Pricilla comes from the 3rd century AD, when a Christian martyr named Priscilla was executed in Rome during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian. Her feast day is celebrated on January 16th by the Catholic Church.
During the Middle Ages, the name Pricilla was relatively uncommon in Europe, but it experienced a revival in the Renaissance period. One notable bearer of the name was Priscilla Mullins, who was among the passengers on the Mayflower voyage to America in 1620. She was one of the first English women to arrive in the Plymouth Colony.
Another famous Priscilla was Priscilla Wakefield (1751-1832), an English Quaker author and philanthropist who wrote educational books for children and advocated for women's rights and education.
In the 19th century, the name gained popularity due to the novel "The Courtship of Miles Standish" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published in 1858. The story featured a character named Priscilla Mullins, who was based on the historical figure from the Mayflower voyage.
One of the most renowned bearers of the name in modern times was Priscilla Presley (born 1945), the former wife of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley. Their marriage and divorce in the 1970s were widely publicized, making the name Priscilla even more widely recognized.
Other notable Priscillas throughout history include Priscilla Chan (born 1985), an American philanthropist and wife of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, the stage name of Australian drag queen and entertainer Priscilla Bellerby (born 1944).
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Pricilla over time
The chart below shows babies named Pricilla registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2002 to 2007. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Pricilla, the clearest high point is 2002. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2007, compared with 3 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pricilla by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Pricilla was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | #4669 | 6 | 2 |
Related
Names similar to Pricilla
- Poppy 52,802
- Phoebe 47,609
- Paige 24,717
- Penelope 13,109
- Pippa 6,346
- Polly 5,678
- Philippa 4,446
- Penny 4,394
- Paris 4,372
- Piper 3,961
- Pearl 3,516
- Paisley 3,419
FAQ
Pricilla: questions and answers
How popular is the name Pricilla in the UK right now?
In 2007, Pricilla was ranked #5201 for girls in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Pricilla most popular?
The peak year on record was 2002, with 3 babies registered as Pricilla in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Pricilla?
Of Latin origin, it means the ancient or venerable one.
How many people are called Pricilla in the UK?
A total of 6 babies have been registered as Pricilla across the 2 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.