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Percilla
How to Pronounce Percilla
Pronounced per-SIL-uh /pərˈsɪlə/Medium
Meaning: Percilla is a phonetic respelling of Priscilla, a Latin diminutive of Prisca, from priscus, 'ancient' or 'venerable.' The 'per-' spelling reflects how many people said the opening syllable.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Percilla is a spoken-form respelling of Priscilla, whose Latin root priscus means 'ancient' or 'venerable.' It appears in United States records from around 1907 and, unusually for its cohort, peaks later, about 1949, when Priscilla was fashionable and phonetic spellings reached the registry. It was never common in this form, given to only a couple dozen girls a year.
With records running into the twenty-first century, Percilla spans several generations rather than one, though it stayed rare beside the standard spelling. Parents drawn to its old, dignified meaning almost always choose Priscilla, with Cilla or Prissy as nicknames.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Percilla mean?
It is a respelling of Priscilla, from the Latin priscus, meaning 'ancient' or 'venerable.'
How do you pronounce Percilla?
It's said per-SIL-uh /pərˈsɪlə/, 3 syllables.
Is Percilla a boy or girl name?
Percilla is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Percilla?
It was always rare, an uncommon Priscilla spelling given to only a couple dozen girls a year, peaking around the late nineteen-forties.