Precious
English word used as a name, from the Old French precios and the Latin pretiosus, both meaning of great worth or value.
Precious in 2025
Precious was given to 51 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 5,585th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 65,007 babies born.
The history of Precious
Precious reached its highest point in 2001, when 746 babies were given the name, ranking 746th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 721st, in 1996.
Across the 129 years of records since 1897, 19,540 babies have been named Precious. Half of them were born before 1996, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Precious by decade
| Decade | Babies named Precious | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 11 | 2,351 |
| 1900s | 55 | 2,175 |
| 1910s | 134 | 2,124 |
| 1920s | 229 | 2,509 |
| 1930s | 138 | 2,801 |
| 1940s | 168 | 3,011 |
| 1950s | 165 | 3,597 |
| 1960s | 326 | 2,497 |
| 1970s | 1,026 | 1,427 |
| 1980s | 3,589 | 806 |
| 1990s | 6,320 | 721 |
| 2000s | 5,476 | 746 |
| 2010s | 1,478 | 1,748 |
| 2020s | 425 | 3,945 |
Where Precious is heading
Precious has fallen 62% over the past decade, from 136 babies in 2015 to 51 in 2025.
Names like Precious
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Precious.