Percilla
Feminine · “ancient”
Percilla is Priscilla written the way many people say it, with a soft per- in front. The best-known woman to carry this exact spelling spent her life in American carnivals and a long, devoted marriage.
How old is the name Percilla?
Percilla first appears in US birth records in 1907 — 118 years ago. The typical Percilla alive today was born around 1957, making them about 68 years old. About 400 people named Percilla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Percilla most popular?
Percilla peaked in 1907, reaching #2061 nationally. See the whole 1907 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From priscus to Percilla
The story of Percilla
Priscilla came into English use through the New Testament and the Puritans, and Percilla records how it is often said aloud. Percilla Bejano, born with thick hair over her face and body, was exhibited from childhood in American carnivals, where she married Emmitt Bejano, a fellow performer; they eloped, toured together for decades and retired to Gibsonton, Florida, the town where carnival people wintered, and they were married for more than half a century. Her name, spelled her way, is part of that story.
Meaning
ancient, through Priscilla
A spelling of Priscilla, the diminutive of the Roman name Prisca, from priscus, ancient or of old times.
How the name formed
- priscus
- Prisca
- Priscilla
- Percilla
Related forms: Priscilla · Priscilla · Priscila
Pronouncing Percilla
pur-SIL-uh
Stress on the second syllable.
Nicknames for Percilla
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1907
- Most girls named
- 194922 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2061reached in 1907
- Change vs 2009
- −16.7%5 in 2011, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Percilla in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Priscilla in English — spelling variant
- Priscilla in Italian — related form
- Priscila in Spanish — related form
Percillas among us
people named Percilla are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Percilla sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It has a clear meaning through a well-known name.
- Cilla is a ready short form.
- It is rare as a spelling.
- People will write Priscilla and treat the spelling as a mistake.
- Percy, the obvious short form, is usually a man's name.
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Percilla
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Frequently asked
- How many Percillas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 400 people named Percilla are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Percilla in 2025?
- Percilla is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Percilla with classmates?
- Percilla will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More P names
The most-given names starting with P, all years combined.
Patricia#1334 · Pamela#2239 · Phyllis#11932 · Peggy#8362 · Paula#853 · Pauline#2957 · Pearl#776 · Paige#346
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Percilla? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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