Prisila
Feminine
Prisila is Priscilla with two letters taken out, neither of which is doing audible work. The name has a long and mostly gentle history, and one very dark episode attached to a man who shared it.
How old is the name Prisila?
Prisila first appears in US birth records in 1978 — 47 years ago. The typical Prisila alive today was born around 2004, making them about 21 years old. About 800 people named Prisila are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Prisila most popular?
Prisila peaked in 2002, reaching #2527 nationally. See the whole 2002 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Prisila
In the fourth century a Spanish bishop called Priscillian led an ascetic movement that attracted a great many followers and alarmed a great many other bishops. He was accused of heresy and of sorcery, tried in a secular court, and executed with several of his companions. It is generally described as the first execution of Christians by Christians for doctrinal reasons, and it horrified a number of senior churchmen at the time, including Martin of Tours and Ambrose, who refused communion with the bishops involved. His followers continued in Spain and Portugal for two centuries. The episode is a footnote in most histories and it set a precedent that took a very long time to undo.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Priscilla is a Roman diminutive and its sense is documented. This shortened spelling is not documented at all, and no reason for the missing letters has been recorded.
Pronouncing Prisila
prih-SEE-luh
Three syllables with the weight in the middle. The Spanish and Portuguese spelling is the same as this one, with a single l.
Nicknames for Prisila
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
- 1978
- Most girls named
- 200262 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2527reached in 2002
- Change vs 2018
- 0.0%5 in 2020, from 5
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.
Prisila in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Priscila in Spanish — same name
- Priscila in Portuguese — same name
Prisilas among us
people named Prisila 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
Prisila 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
- This is the standard spelling in Spanish and Portuguese, so it is not an invention but a border crossing.
- Pris and Cilla are both available as short forms without any work.
- The name behind it is ancient, well documented and used across Europe.
- In English-speaking settings Priscilla is the expected spelling and this one will be corrected to it.
- Neither missing letter can be heard, so the spelling has to be given aloud every time.
- No reason for the change is documented in English use, so there is nothing to say when someone asks.
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Prisila
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Prisilas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Prisila are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Prisila in 2025?
- Prisila is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Prisila with classmates?
- Prisila 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 Prisila? See the current top 100.
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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