Precious
Girl name · #3133 in 2025 · Uniqueness 77/100
Precious is currently the #3133 girl name in the United States — 51 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #1636, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 35,294 girls born in 2025 was named Precious.
The 128-year story
Precious first appears in the Social Security records in 1897, when 6 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2001, when 746 girls were named Precious — good for #392 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Precious per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Precious against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Precious in class?
Precious scores 77 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Precious will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Precious is most common
State-level data for Precious is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Precious
Statistically, parents drawn to Precious tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Marykate, Destinee, Kaleigh, Fabiola, and Stefany.
MarykateDestineeKaleighFabiolaStefanyKaitlynnKatelynnCheyanne
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Precious | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 51 | #3130 |
| 2024 | 69 | #2559 |
| 2023 | 70 | #2517 |
| 2022 | 87 | #2174 |
| 2021 | 84 | #2212 |
| 2020 | 58 | #2823 |
| 2019 | 90 | #2090 |
| 2018 | 113 | #1799 |
| 2017 | 111 | #1842 |
| 2016 | 109 | #1875 |
| 2015 | 131 | #1636 |
| 2014 | 133 | #1617 |
| 2013 | 145 | #1514 |
| 2012 | 157 | #1452 |
| 2011 | 199 | #1204 |
| 2010 | 268 | #955 |
| 2009 | 367 | #774 |
| 2008 | 375 | #783 |
| 2007 | 501 | #600 |
| 2006 | 534 | #550 |
| 2005 | 529 | #544 |
| 2004 | 512 | #558 |
| 2003 | 553 | #516 |
| 2002 | 689 | #423 |
| 2001 | 746 | #392 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Precious a popular girl name?
Precious ranked #3133 among girls in 2025 with 51 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #1636.
When was the name Precious most popular?
Precious peaked in 2001, when 746 American girls received the name (ranked #392 that year). Since 2001 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Precious?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 35,294 newborn American girls was named Precious. It scores 77/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.