Preciosa
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "precious" or "valuable".
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the first name Preciosa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Preciosa today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Preciosa births was 1999 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Preciosa. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
147
~ 1 in 2,331,662 Americans
Peak year
1999
19 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2011 SSA rank
#16,306
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Preciosa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Preciosa from the 1990s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 115 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Preciosa by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Preciosa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Preciosas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Preciosa
The name Preciosa has its origins in the Spanish language, derived from the word "preciosa," which means "precious" or "valuable." It is a feminine given name that has been in use since the Middle Ages, particularly in Spain and other Spanish-speaking regions.
The earliest recorded use of the name Preciosa dates back to the 14th century, when it appeared in literary works such as the Spanish novella "La gitanilla" by Miguel de Cervantes. In this work, Preciosa is the name of the main character, a beautiful gypsy girl who becomes a symbol of innocence and purity.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Preciosa was Preciosa de Jesús (1614-1668), a Spanish mystic and nun from Madrid. She was known for her religious devotion and her written works, which included poetry and spiritual treatises.
Another noteworthy Preciosa was Preciosa Espinosa (1887-1977), a Mexican painter and sculptor who was part of the Mexican Renaissance movement. Her works often depicted indigenous themes and traditional Mexican culture.
In the realm of literature, Preciosa was the name of a character in the novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" by Victor Hugo. Published in 1831, the novel features a gypsy dancer named Preciosa who becomes entangled in the story's dramatic events.
Moving forward in time, Preciosa Fernández (1914-2000) was a Spanish actress who appeared in numerous films during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. She was known for her roles in classic Mexican films such as "Enamorada" (1946) and "Sólamente una vez" (1954).
While the name Preciosa has fallen out of widespread use in modern times, it remains a beautiful and evocative name with a rich cultural heritage, particularly in the Spanish-speaking world.
People
Preciosa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Preciosa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Preciosa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Preciosa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 147 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Preciosa going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,331,662 US residents.
Is Preciosa a common name?
We classify Preciosa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 150 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Preciosa most popular?
The single biggest year for Preciosa was 1999, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Preciosa is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Preciosa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Preciosa in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.