Prescious
Of Latin origin, meaning precious, valuable or cherished.
Name Census estimates that about 73 living Americans carry the first name Prescious. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Prescious today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prescious births was 1999 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prescious. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Prescious. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
73
~ 1 in 4,695,265 Americans
Peak year
1999
11 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2001 SSA rank
#17,281
Tracked since 1983
Popularity
Prescious: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Prescious from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 56 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Prescious 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 Prescious during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Prescious
The name Prescious is a variant spelling of the name Precious, which is derived from the Late Latin word "pretiosus," meaning "of great value" or "costly." This name has its roots in the Latin word "pretium," meaning "price" or "value."
Prescious is believed to have originated in the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th or 13th century. It was likely used as a name to convey the idea that a child was a precious and valuable gift. The name was particularly popular among Christian families, as it resonated with the biblical concept of valuing spiritual treasures over material wealth.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Prescious can be found in the court records of England from the 14th century. A woman named Prescious de Worthe was mentioned in a legal document dated 1382. This suggests that the name was in use, at least in certain regions of England, during the late medieval period.
In the 16th century, the name Prescious was mentioned in the writings of the English poet and playwright William Shakespeare. In his play "The Merchant of Venice," published in 1600, a character named Prescious is briefly referenced, though she does not appear on stage.
During the 17th century, a notable figure named Prescious Brewster lived in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. She was born in England in 1624 and immigrated to the American colonies with her family. Prescious Brewster was one of the earliest recorded individuals with this name in the New World.
In the 19th century, a woman named Prescious Moor (1824-1902) gained recognition as a successful businesswoman and philanthropist in the city of Philadelphia, United States. She owned a lucrative millinery business and donated a significant portion of her wealth to various charitable causes.
Another individual of note was Prescious Jewett (1878-1957), an American educator and author who wrote several children's books and educational materials. She was a prominent figure in the field of early childhood education during the early 20th century.
Prescious is a unique and distinctive name that has been used throughout history, though it has remained relatively uncommon compared to its more widely recognized variant, Precious. Despite its rarity, the name has carried a sense of value and preciousness across different cultures and time periods.
People
Prescious + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prescious 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
Prescious: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prescious?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 73 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prescious 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 4,695,265 US residents.
Is Prescious a common name?
We classify Prescious as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 76 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Prescious most popular?
The single biggest year for Prescious was 1999, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prescious is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Prescious a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Prescious 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.