Head to head · Girls' names
Kyomi vs Priscilla
#546 vs #544 in 2025
Priscilla is a whisker ahead (#544 vs #546 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Priscilla is holding its place on the charts, Kyomi is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Kyomi has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Priscilla leads 5 measures of 6; Kyomi leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #324 — Priscilla higher
- 1890s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #366 — Priscilla higher
- 1900s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #348 — Priscilla higher
- 1910s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #300 — Priscilla higher
- 1920s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #227 — Priscilla higher
- 1930s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #211 — Priscilla higher
- 1940s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #148 — Priscilla higher
- 1950s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #211 — Priscilla higher
- 1960s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #278 — Priscilla higher
- 1970s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #281 — Priscilla higher
- 1980s: Kyomi #8224, Priscilla #173 — Priscilla higher
- 1990s: Kyomi —, Priscilla #210 — Priscilla higher
- 2000s: Kyomi #11459, Priscilla #339 — Priscilla higher
- 2010s: Kyomi #11609, Priscilla #512 — Priscilla higher
- 2020s: Kyomi #1503, Priscilla #617 — Priscilla higher
Priscilla stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Kyomi | Priscilla |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #324 |
| 1890s | — | #366 |
| 1900s | — | #348 |
| 1910s | — | #300 |
| 1920s | — | #227 |
| 1930s | — | #211 |
| 1940s | — | #148 |
| 1950s | — | #211 |
| 1960s | — | #278 |
| 1970s | — | #281 |
| 1980s | #8224 | #173 |
| 1990s | — | #210 |
| 2000s | #11459 | #339 |
| 2010s | #11609 | #512 |
| 2020s | #1503 | #617 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Kyomi
Not established
No meaning is established for the spelling Kyomi. What is documented is the closely similar Japanese given name Kiyomi, written most often with characters for 'pure' and 'beauty' — but there is no record showing that American Kyomis descend from it rather than from the sound itself, alongside names like Naomi and Kyoko.
Our story of Kyomi — where the record runs out
Every part of this name is already familiar to an English ear, which is part of why it needed no introduction when it began appearing on American birth records. The Ky- opening belongs to Kyle and Kyra; the -mi ending belongs to Naomi, Noemi, Mimi.
Priscilla
ancient, venerable
A Latin diminutive of Priscus, "former" or "of old" — literally something closer to "little venerable one." The affectionate -illa ending is the same one behind Camilla and Domitilla.
Priscus → Prisca → Priscilla
How it traveled
The Roman family name Priscus produced the feminine Prisca, and Prisca produced the affectionate diminutive Priscilla. Both forms appear in the New Testament for the same woman — Paul writes Prisca, Acts writes Priscilla — which is why the longer form traveled so far in Christian Europe.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Kyomi
KYOH-mee
Two syllables is the usual American reading, with the K and Y sliding together. Some families say it in three, kee-OH-mee, closer to Japanese Kiyomi. Both are in use, so expect to state your preference once and then be understood.
- Kyo — The most natural clipping, informal and mostly used at home.
- Mimi — Drawn from the ending; also stands alone as a given name and nickname in French and English.
- Kiki — An informal playground-style short form, common with any K-initial name.
Priscilla
pri-SIL-uh
Stress on the second syllable. The double L is pronounced as a single L in English; in Spanish and Portuguese the name is spelled with one L and one S — Priscila — and pronounced pree-SEE-la.
- Cilla — The long-standing English short form, taken from the stressed middle; also used on its own as a given name in Britain and Scandinavia.
- Pri — Standard informal short form in Brazilian Portuguese and common among Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking families in the US.
- Pris — Clipped and informal, mostly within families and among friends.
- Prissy — An old family diminutive; note that it doubles as an English adjective meaning prim or fussy.
- Also Silla.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Kyomi if you want…
- a name on the way upup 1,182 places on the charts in five years
- a newer arrivalKyomi entered the US charts in 1982
- a name that feels very nowKyomi is climbing the charts fast
Choose Priscilla if you want…
- a name holding steadyPriscilla is holding its place on the charts
- plenty of nickname options5 recorded short forms — Cilla, Pri and Pris
- a long American recordPriscilla was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 40% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 62% for Kyomi
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Kyomi
Strengths
- Phonetically transparent for English speakers: it is read correctly on sight far more often than most names this uncommon.
- Short — two syllables in ordinary American use — and pairs easily with longer surnames.
- Sounds like names people already know, sharing its ending with Naomi and Noemi and its opening with Kyra.
To consider
- The spelling and the pronunciation both have a rival: Kiyomi on paper, kee-OH-mee aloud. Neither is wrong, but you will be correcting one or the other fairly often, and so will she.
- No meaning is settled for this spelling. If a firm answer to 'what does it mean' matters to you, this name will not supply one — though it can point to the Japanese Kiyomi as its nearest documented relative.
- It is being given almost entirely to babies right now, so there are few adult Kyomis to borrow a first impression from. That cuts both ways: nothing to live up to, and nothing to live down.
Priscilla
Strengths
- A documented line from Roman Latin through the New Testament to the present, with no gaps to explain.
- Recognized across English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French, with only a one-letter shift between them.
- Several established short forms — Cilla, Pri, Pris — none of them invented on the spot.
To consider
- "Prissy" is both a natural short form and an ordinary English adjective for prim or fussy. Most families simply steer toward Cilla or Pri, but it is worth knowing the word is there.
- Spelling gets tested regularly: one S, two Ls, and the Spanish and Portuguese Priscila has neither doubled. Expect to spell it aloud, and expect Pricilla on some forms.
- It is still strongly represented among older generations, so some people will place it with adults rather than with children — though the same steadiness means it has never dropped out of use or become a period costume.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Kyomi
62%chance Kyomi feels dated by 2040
Kyomi is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
Priscilla
40%chance Priscilla feels dated by 2040
Priscilla sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Kyomi and Priscilla in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Kyomi and Priscilla?
Put both to the vote.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Nine-letter names, the long end of the chart
- Ancient Roman names in modern use
- First Lady names through the centuries
- all guides
Where Kyomi and Priscilla each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Kyomi or Priscilla — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Kyomi or Priscilla?
- Priscilla, in 2025: Priscilla ranked #544 with 555 babies; Kyomi ranked #546 with 551 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Kyomi or Priscilla?
- Kyomi. Over the last five years Kyomi moved up 1,182 places; Priscilla moved up 17 places.
- Which is the older name, Kyomi or Priscilla?
- Kyomi entered the US charts in 1982; Priscilla was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Priscilla is the older name.
- How many people are named Kyomi and Priscilla?
- About 1,400 people named Kyomi are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 92,000 people named Priscilla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Kyomis or Priscillas in the classroom?
- Kyomi will almost certainly be the only one in school. Priscilla will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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