Given name & surname
Precious
“one who is treasured”
Precious is used as a given name and a surname. One American interpretation is “one who is treasured.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One American interpretation is “one who is treasured.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is American.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1897. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Precious through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 19,540
- 147 boys · 19,393 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 746 babies
- 2025
- 51
- #3,158 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −26%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 51 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 3,158 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 24.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 746 in 2001. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 15,863 as a first name in 2020; 171 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Precious’s family of names
Precious has a related form in Preshis. Precious has a related form in Preshys.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Precious
- Precious AchiuwaNigerian basketball player (born 1999)
- Precious DedeNigerian association football playerborn 1980
- Precious Lara QuigamanFilipina beauty pageant titleholderborn 1983
- Precious WilsonJamaican singerborn 1957
- Precious AdamsAmerican ballet dancerborn 1950
- Precious LungaZimbabwean-born epidemiologistborn 1974
- Precious EmuejerayeSingaporean footballerborn 1983
- Precious Mustaphaactressborn 1997
- Chikondi Chabvutaenvironmental activist, a climate justice and women’s rights advocate from Malawi
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Precious, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Princess
“a highborn daughter; born to royalty”
>99% girls
Essence
“a perfumed woman”
1% boys · 99% girls
Kassidy
“a curly-haired man”
3% boys · 97% girls
Endia
“a magical woman”
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Isela
“a giving woran”
>99% girls
Kelis
“a beautiful and talented woman”
>99% girls
Destiny
“recognizing one's certain fortune; fate”
1% boys · 99% girls
Passion
“a sensual woman”
>99% girls