Precious
Precious is a girl's name of English origin.
Meaning
Of great value, beloved, or highly esteemed.
Origin and history
Precious is an English vocabulary name derived from the Old French word 'precios', meaning valuable or of great worth. It emerged as a modern virtue name in the United States during the mid-to-late 20th century. While its overall SSA historical count places it just outside the top 1000 female names, its modern usage has become relatively rare.
Popularity in the United States
19,393 babies in the United States have been named Precious since 1880. It ranks #1083 all-time. Among babies born since 2020 it ranks #1682.
States where it is most popular
- CA (13.2 %)
- TX (9 %)
- NY (8.3 %)
- FL (7.5 %)
- IL (6.1 %)
Trends by decade
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880-1890 | 0 |
| 1890-1900 | 11 |
| 1900-1910 | 55 |
| 1910-1920 | 113 |
| 1920-1930 | 208 |
| 1930-1940 | 138 |
| 1940-1950 | 168 |
| 1950-1960 | 165 |
| 1960-1970 | 326 |
| 1970-1980 | 1,020 |
| 1980-1990 | 3,555 |
| 1990-2000 | 6,305 |
| 2000-2010 | 5,454 |
| 2010-2019 | 1,456 |
| 2020-2029 | 419 |
Famous people named Precious
- Precious Adams: Ballet dancer
Fun facts
- The name directly derives from the English adjective, which traces back to Latin 'pretiosus', meaning costly or valuable.
- Precious reached its peak popularity in the United States during the 1990s as modern word names gained traction.