Princess
Feminine · Latin roots · “princess”
Princess is overwhelmingly a girls’ name — 15,975 girls against 7 boys since 1880.
Princess came into English from Old French princesse, the feminine of prince, and behind that stands Latin princeps — literally "the first one, the chief." It is a word every English speaker already owns, which means no one has to ask how to spell it. Two syllables, the first firm, the second falling away into a soft hiss.
How old is the name Princess?
Princess first appears in US birth records in 1895 — 130 years ago. The typical Princess alive today was born around 1999, making them about 26 years old. About 15,000 people named Princess are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Princess most popular?
Princess peaked in 1986, reaching #613 nationally. Today it ranks #1120, 507 places below that high. See the whole 1986 chart.
Princess appears on this list:
Where it comes from
From princeps (Latin) to Princess
The story of Princess
This is a title before it is a name. Latin princeps gave Old French prince and its feminine princesse, and the word arrived in Middle English in the fourteenth century, already carrying its royal sense. As a given name it belongs to the English-speaking habit of naming children directly from the language's grandest nouns — the same road that carried Queen, Duke and Earl onto American records. In the United States it has held a continuous place on the charts across many generations, and it is also in genuine use as a given name in the Philippines.
Meaning
princess — the daughter of a monarch; feminine of prince
The root is Latin princeps, "first, foremost, chief," which passed through Old French prince and princesse into English.
How the name formed
- princepsLatin
- princesseOld French
- princesseMiddle English
- Princess
Related forms: Princesa · Princesa · Princesse · Principessa · Prinzessin
Pronouncing Princess
PRIN-sess
Stress on the first syllable. The second can soften to PRIN-səs in ordinary speech; both are the same word, said quickly or slowly.
Nicknames for Princess
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
- 1895
- Most girls named
- 2017383 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #613reached in 1986
- Change vs 2022
- −24.8%209 in 2025, from 278
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.
Princess in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Princesa in Spanish — related form
- Princesa in Portuguese — related form
- Princesse in French — related form
- Principessa in Italian — related form
- Prinzessin in German — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Florida, California.
Princesss among us
people named Princess are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 7,690 born in 2025 was named Princess
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Willia test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Princess's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Willia climbed just as high around 1902, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Willia's path sketches the road Princess is walking now.
Princess 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 scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Princess is headed
Princess is easing off slowly — about 18% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Princess beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Princess in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Everyone already knows the spelling — it needs no repeating, no correcting, no letter-by-letter over the phone.
- The meaning is entirely settled, with no competing readings to explain.
- A long unbroken run on American records, rather than a recent invention.
- Recognizable across languages through its cognates: princesa, princesse, principessa.
- Used in the Philippines as well as the United States, so it travels within some families already.
- The word doubles as a common term of endearment and, sometimes, a sarcastic one. A child called Princess will meet the "spoiled princess" joke at some point, and the phrase "yes, princess" said flatly.
- Titles as names draw comment in a way ordinary names do not — expect the raised eyebrow at introductions, and consider whether a plainer middle name would give her a second option on a résumé.
- There is no long-standing short form the way Elizabeth has Beth. Prin and Cessy exist in families, but the name is usually used in full.
- It is rare enough that she is unlikely to share it with a classmate — which cuts both ways: no confusion, but no cover either.
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What they receive
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Princess
Feminine · Latin roots · #1120 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Princesss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 15,000 people named Princess are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Princess in 2025?
- Princess ranks #1120 among US girl names in 2025, with 209 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Princess?
- About 1 in every 7,690 US girls born in 2025 was named Princess — 209 in all.
- Will my child share the name Princess with classmates?
- Princess will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Princess
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ida#1120 · Ingrid#1120 · Xolani#1120 · Raquel#1120 · Rhiannon#1119 · Imogen#1117 · Kacey#1117 · Kit#1125
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Princess? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Princess and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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