Princella
A feminine diminutive form of the French "princesse", meaning small princess.
Name Census estimates that about 304 living Americans carry the first name Princella. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Princella today is around 63 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Princella births was 1942 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Princella. 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
304
~ 1 in 1,127,481 Americans
Peak year
1942
19 babies that year
Average age
63
years old
2004 SSA rank
#18,137
Tracked since 1900
Popularity
Princella: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Princella from the 1900s through to the 2000s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 100 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Princella 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 Princella 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 Princella
The given name Princella is a feminine variant of the name Princella, which is derived from the Latin word "princeps," meaning "chief" or "leader." This name has its roots in ancient Roman culture, where it was initially used to denote a person of high status or authority.
The earliest recorded usage of the name Princella can be traced back to the late Roman Empire period, around the 4th or 5th century AD. During this era, it was not uncommon for noble families or those with political influence to name their daughters with names that reflected their social standing or aspirations.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Princella was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 5th century AD. She was the daughter of a prominent senator and was known for her patronage of the arts and her support for the Christian church during a tumultuous period in Rome's history.
As the Roman Empire declined and Christianity spread throughout Europe, the name Princella fell out of common usage for several centuries. However, it experienced a resurgence during the Renaissance period, particularly in Italy, where it was often used by aristocratic families to honor their noble lineage.
In the 16th century, a notable Italian Renaissance painter named Princella da Vinci, who was a distant relative of the famous Leonardo da Vinci, gained recognition for her exquisite portraits and frescoes adorning churches and palaces throughout northern Italy.
Another historical figure who bore the name Princella was a French noblewoman from the 17th century. Princella de Montmorency was a prominent figure at the court of King Louis XIV and was renowned for her intelligence, wit, and skill in political maneuvering.
In the 19th century, Princella Nightingale, an English socialite and philanthropist, was known for her efforts in promoting women's education and advocating for better healthcare conditions for the poor.
A more recent example of a notable person named Princella was Princella Curie, a Polish-born physicist and chemist who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win the Nobel Prize twice, in 1903 and 1911, respectively.
While the name Princella is not as common today as it once was, it still holds a certain historical significance and charm, reminiscent of an era when names were often chosen to reflect one's social status and aspirations.
People
Princella + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Princella 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
Princella: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Princella?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 304 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Princella 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 1,127,481 US residents.
Is Princella a common name?
We classify Princella as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 624 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Princella most popular?
The single biggest year for Princella was 1942, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Princella is about 63 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Princella a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Princella 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.