Princesa
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "princess".
Name Census estimates that about 351 living Americans carry the first name Princesa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Princesa today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Princesa births was 2004 (89 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Princesa. 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
351
~ 1 in 976,508 Americans
Peak year
2004
89 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,869
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Princesa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Princesa from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 251 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
Princesa 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 Princesa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Princesas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Texas, Arizona recorded the most babies named Princesa, while North Carolina, Georgia, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 20 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Princesa
Princesa is a feminine given name of Spanish origin, derived from the word "princesa" which means "princess" in the Spanish language. This name is closely tied to European royal and noble families, with its earliest known usage dating back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula.
The name Princesa gained prominence during the Renaissance era, particularly in the courts of the Spanish and Portuguese monarchies. It was often bestowed upon daughters of royalty and nobility as a reflection of their esteemed status and lineage. The name symbolized grace, beauty, and the privileged position held by these young women within the aristocratic circles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Princesa can be found in the chronicles of the Kingdom of Aragon, where a noblewoman named Princesa de Aragón lived in the 14th century. She was a prominent figure at the court of King Pedro IV and played an influential role in the cultural and political affairs of her time.
In the 16th century, the name Princesa was further popularized by Princesa de Éboli, a influential Spanish aristocrat and a close confidante of King Philip II. Her life and exploits were celebrated in literature and art, cementing the name's association with nobility and power.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Princesa. One such figure was Princesa de Borbón (1502-1549), a Spanish princess who married King John III of Portugal and became the Queen Consort of Portugal. Her marriage played a crucial role in strengthening the diplomatic ties between the two Iberian kingdoms.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Princesa de Asturias (1785-1836), the daughter of King Charles IV of Spain. She held the prestigious title of Princess of Asturias, which traditionally belonged to the heir apparent to the Spanish throne.
In the realm of literature, the name Princesa gained further recognition through the works of renowned Spanish authors, such as Miguel de Cervantes and Lope de Vega, who often used it as a symbolic representation of feminine beauty and nobility in their plays and novels.
While the name Princesa may have originated among the upper echelons of society, it eventually transcended class boundaries and became a popular choice among Spanish-speaking communities worldwide, serving as a reminder of the enduring legacy of the Iberian cultural heritage.
People
Princesa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Princesa 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
Princesa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Princesa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 351 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Princesa 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 976,508 US residents.
Is Princesa a common name?
We classify Princesa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 357 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Princesa most popular?
The single biggest year for Princesa was 2004, when 89 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Princesa is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Princesa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Princesa 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.