Precious
Precious is a predominantly feminine given name derived from the English word meaning "of great worth." It is also in occasional use for males.
Meaning & Origin of Precious
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Precious is a predominantly feminine given name derived from the English word meaning "of great worth." It is also in occasional use for males.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Precious
Precious first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1897, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2001, when 746 Preciouss were born — ranking #392 that year. As of 2026, Precious ranks #2,445 for baby girls with 74 births, falling sharply (-18%). In total, more than 19K Preciouss have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1890s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Precious
Phonetically similar names — useful when Precious is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Pernicious
- Prussia
- Piceous
- Purchase
- Prowess
- Prius
- Presses
- Pressures
- Preface
- Paralyse
- Prescious
- Pression
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Precious
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About the name Precious
Precious is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1897 and has accumulated 19K births in the dataset. Precious's peak popularity came in 2001 when it ranked #376. Use the chart and map above to compare Precious's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2001 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.