Precious

Precious: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “highly valued”
Origin: English
Say it: PRESH-us · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

English word name from 'precious,' used as a given name in virtue-style naming. It is also found in several African naming traditions through English influence.

English names African names Names meaning joy Names meaning gift Virtue names Modern names

How popular is Precious?

202421.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Precious in 202469

2024 rank#2,554 girls

Peak year1998

Total US babies since 188019,489

Precious is fading: recent use is about 46% of its level ten years before.

Names like Precious

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Oliviaolive tree · English
Evelyndesired; little bird · English
Harperharp player · English
Violetviolet flower · English
Hazelhazel tree · English
Ellieshort form of names ending in -el or -ella · English
Lilylily flower · English
Scarlettscarlet, bright red · English

Precious questions

What does the name Precious mean?

Precious means "highly valued". It comes from English. English word name from 'precious,' used as a given name in virtue-style naming. It is also found in several African naming traditions through English influence.

Is Precious a boy or girl name?

Precious is mainly a girl's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Precious?

69 US babies were named Precious in 2024. Its peak year was 1998.

How do you pronounce Precious?

Precious is usually pronounced PRESH-us.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.