How popular is the baby name Precious in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Precious.

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Popularity of the baby name Precious


Posts that mention the name Precious

Popular baby names in South Africa, 2024

Flag of South Africa
Flag of South Africa

In 2024, the country of South Africa welcomed more than 787,900 babies.*

What were the most popular names among these babies? Onalerona and Lethabo, for the third year in a row.

Here are South Africa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Onalerona, 2,289 baby girls
  2. Zanokuhle, 2,223
  3. Melokuhle, 2,108
  4. Lisakhanya, 2,097
  5. Lethabo, 1,934
  6. Nkanyezi, 1,824
  7. Onthatile, 1,765
  8. Lesedi, 1,745
  9. Omphile, 1,725
  10. Olwemihla, 1,591

Boy names

  1. Lethabo, 2,791 baby boys
  2. Lubanzi, 1,907
  3. Nkazimulo, 1,808
  4. Nkanyezi, 1,691
  5. Langelihle, 1,555
  6. Lesedi, 1,519
  7. Lethokuhle, 1,508
  8. Siphosethu, 1,484
  9. Junior, 1,467
  10. Leano, 1,441

And what about middle names? The top five middles for girls were Precious, Princess, Blessing, Angel, and Faith, and the top five middles for boys were Junior, Blessing, Gift, Prince, and Jayden.

Finally, here’s a link to South Africa’s 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare.

*Tens of thousands of South African newborns are registered late every year, so the true total will likely be much higher than this.

Sources (both from Statistics South Africa): Recorded live births, 2024, What’s in a Name? South Africa’s Baby Naming Trends Tell a Story of Hope and Heritage

Image: Adapted from Flag of South Africa (public domain)

Girl names that end with an S-sound

Girl names that end with an S-sound

In the U.S., most of the names given to baby girls end with a vowel sound. And many of the remaining names end with an N-sound.

So, what about girl names that end with other sounds?

Below is a selection of girl names that end with an S-sound, regardless of last letter. The names are ordered by current popularity.

Grace
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Grace.

Genesis
An Ancient Greek word meaning “origin, creation.” Here’s the popularity graph for Genesis.

Iris
The Ancient Greek word for “rainbow,” as well as an ancient Greek goddess (the personification of the rainbow) and a type of flower (that is often purple). Here’s the popularity graph for Iris.

Reese
An Anglicized form of the Welsh name Rhys, meaning “ardor.” Here’s the popularity graph for Reese.

Frances
The feminine form of Francis, which is derived from the late Roman name Franciscus, meaning “Frenchman.” Here’s the popularity graph for Frances.

Paris
From the capital of France. Here’s the popularity graph for Paris.

Florence
From the late Roman name Florentia, meaning “blooming.” Here’s the popularity graph for Florence.

Dallas
From either the Scottish surname (derived from a place name meaning “meadow dwelling”) or the English surname (derived from a place name meaning “valley house”). Here’s the popularity graph for Dallas.

Mavis
From the type of bird. Here’s the popularity graph for Mavis.

Ellis
From the English surname, which is derived from the name Elias. Here’s the popularity graph for Ellis.

Promise
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Promise.

Anaïs
May be a French variant of the name of the Iranian goddess Anahita. Here’s the popularity graph for Anaïs.

Cadence
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Cadence.

Justice
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Justice.

Artemis
From the name of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis. Here’s the popularity graph for Artemis.

Amaris
Might be based on Amaro, the name of a legendary 13th-century Catholic saint. Here’s the popularity graph for Amaris.

Princess
The feminine form of the royal title prince. Here’s the popularity graph for Princess.

Joyce
From an Old Breton word meaning “prince, ruler, lord.” Here’s the popularity graph for Joyce.

Essence
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Essence.

Memphis
From the name of the ancient Egyptian city Men-nefer. Here’s the popularity graph for Memphis.

Agnes
From the Ancient Greek word for “chaste.” Here’s the popularity graph for Agnes.

Patience
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Patience.

Venus
From the name of the Roman goddess Venus. Here’s the popularity graph for Venus.

Milagros
A Spanish word meaning “miracles” (from the Marian title La Virgen de los Milagros). Here’s the popularity graph for Milagros.

Damaris
May be derived from an Ancient Greek word meaning “calf.” Here’s the popularity graph for Damaris.

Eris
From the name of the ancient Greek goddess Eris. Here’s the popularity graph for Eris.

Hollis
From the English surname, which originally referred to a person who lived by holly trees. Here’s the popularity graph for Hollis.

Temperance
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Temperance.

Daenerys
Invented by writer George R. R. Martin for a character in the high fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire (upon which the TV series Game of Thrones was based). Here’s the popularity graph for Daenerys.

Lois
An Ancient Greek name of unknown meaning. Here’s the popularity graph for Lois.

Constance
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Constance.

Empress
The feminine form of the royal title emperor. Here’s the popularity graph for Empress.

Lotus
From the type of flower. Here’s the popularity graph for Lotus.

Isis
From the name of the ancient Egyptian goddess Isis. Here’s the popularity graph for Isis.

Eunice
From an Ancient Greek name made up of elements meaning “good” and “victory.” Here’s the popularity graph for Eunice.

Karis
May be based on the Welsh name Carys or the Ancient Greek name Charis. Here’s the popularity graph for Karis.

Yehudis
From the Hebrew name Yehudit, meaning “Jewish woman.” Here’s the popularity graph for Yehudis.

Inés
A Spanish form of the name Agnes. Here’s the popularity graph for Inés.

Alanis
A feminine form of Alan. Here’s the popularity graph for Alanis.

Tess
A nickname for Theresa. Here’s the popularity graph for Tess.

Prudence
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Prudence.

Janice
Based on Jane, which can be traced back to a (masculine) Hebrew name meaning “Yahweh is gracious.” Here’s the popularity graph for Janice.

Doris
An Ancient Greek name meaning “Dorian woman.” Here’s the popularity graph for Doris.

Precious
From the English vocabulary word. Here’s the popularity graph for Precious.

Dolores
A Spanish word meaning “sorrows” (from the Marian title La Virgen de los Dolores). Here’s the popularity graph for Dolores.

Kelis
Popularized by singer Kelis. Here’s the popularity graph for the name Kelis.

Bryce
Might be based on the Gaulish name Briccus, meaning “speckled.” Here’s the popularity graph for Bryce.

Amaryllis
From the type of flower. Here’s the popularity graph for Amaryllis.

Candace
From Kandake, the title of the queen in the ancient Kingdom of Kush (in northeastern Africa). Here’s the popularity graph for Candace.

Gladys
Based on the Welsh name Gwladus (which belonged to a legendary Welsh saint). Here’s the popularity graph for Gladys.


Less-common girl names that end with an S-sound include Clarice, Bliss, Lamees, Solstice, Maris, Briseis, and Cypress.

Which of the above do you like most? What others can you think of?

P.S. Here are lists of girl names that end with D-, K-, L-, M-, R-, T-, V-, and Z-sounds.

Sources:

  • SSA
  • Behind the Name
  • Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources: Jodocus & Brice
  • Hanks, Patrick, Kate Hardcastle and Flavia Hodges. (Eds.) A Dictionary of First Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
  • Hanks, Patrick. (Ed.) Dictionary of American Family Names. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2022.

Popular baby names in South Africa, 2019

Flag of South Africa
Flag of South Africa

According to Statistics South Africa, the most popular baby names in the country in 2019 were Melokuhle and Enzokuhle.

Here are South Africa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2019:

Girl names

  1. Melokuhle, 3,418 baby girls
  2. Enzokuhle, 3,273
  3. Amahle, 2,534
  4. Lethabo, 2,420
  5. Omphile, 2,350
  6. Okuhle, 2,313
  7. Lesedi, 2,154
  8. Lethokuhle, 2,079
  9. Lisakhanya, 2,077
  10. Rethabile, 1,951

Boy names

  1. Enzokuhle, 3,851 baby boys
  2. Lethabo, 3,138
  3. Lubanzi, 3,110
  4. Melokuhle, 2,907
  5. Junior, 2,471
  6. Lethokuhle, 2,169
  7. Siyabonga, 1,979
  8. Omphile, 1,292
  9. Thato, 1,887
  10. Bokamoso, 1,883

In general, the popular baby forenames for males and females reflect positive hopes for the child, express beliefs and are inspired by positive connotations of both love and acceptance.

In 2018, the top name for both girls and boys was Enzokuhle.

In the girls’ top 10, Lethokuhle and Lisakhanya replaced Amogelang and Onthatile.

In the boys’ top 10, Lethokuhle replaced Amogelang.

Finally, the top five middle names per gender in 2019 were…

  • Girls: Precious, Princess, Angel, Blessing, Hope
  • Boys: Junior, Blessing, Gift, Prince, Lubanzi

Source: P0305 – Recorded live births, 2019 – Stats SA

Image: Adapted from Flag of South Africa (public domain)

Popular baby names in South Africa, 2018

Flag of South Africa
Flag of South Africa

According to Statistics South Africa, the most popular baby name in the country last year — for both baby boys and baby girls — was (again) Enzokuhle.

Here are South Africa’s top 10 girl names and top 10 boy names of 2018:

Girl Names

  1. Enzokuhle, 3,751 baby girls
  2. Melokuhle, 3,076
  3. Amahle, 2,856
  4. Okuhle, 2,389
  5. Lethabo, 2,364
  6. Omphile, 2,205
  7. Lesedi, 2,092
  8. Rethabile, 2,050
  9. Amogelang, 1,849
  10. Onthatile, 1,810

Boy Names

  1. Enzokuhle, 4,124 baby boys
  2. Lethabo, 3,137
  3. Melokuhle, 2,823
  4. Lubanzi, 2,801
  5. Junior, 2,181
  6. Siyabonga, 2,039
  7. Bokamoso, 1,988
  8. Omphile, 1,905
  9. Amogelang, 1,847
  10. Thato, 1,808

In the girls’ top 10, Okuhle and Onthatile replaced Luthando and Thandolwethu.

In the boys’ top 10, Omphile and Thato replaced Bandile and Mpho.

And, looking at middle names, the top three choices per gender are exactly the same as the year before:

  • Girls: Precious, Princess, Angel
  • Boys: Junior, Blessing, Gift

Sources: P0305 – Recorded live births, 2018 – Stats SA, Most popular baby names in South Africa in 2018, Revealed: The most popular baby names in SA

Image: Adapted from Flag of South Africa (public domain)