Precious

About Precious

Precious is an English word name expressing value and affection: something precious is greatly cherished or of exceptional worth. Its history reaches back through French to Latin. The name is used for both women and men internationally, with modern associations that include the central character of Sapphire's novel Push and basketball player Precious Achiuwa.

Meaning and pronunciation

English precious came through Old French precios from Latin pretiosus, meaning “costly” or “valuable.” Behind that adjective is pretium, “price,” “value,” or “worth.” The English word has been recorded since the thirteenth century.

As a personal name, Precious uses the familiar English word directly. The sense of something dearly valued gives it an affectionate meaning as well as the older connection with material worth.

The usual pronunciation is PRESH-us, with two syllables and stress on the first. The middle ci has the sh sound, and the final syllable is unstressed. It is a complete word name rather than a shortened form of another traditional name.

Precious in fiction and film

Sapphire's novel Push, published in 1996, centers on a young woman called Precious. The book follows her movement toward literacy and the possibility of a different life after severe abuse and deprivation.

Its film adaptation, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, brought the character to a much wider audience. Gabourey Sidibe played the leading role, with Mo'Nique portraying her mother.

At the 2010 Academy Awards, Mo'Nique won supporting actress and Geoffrey Fletcher won the adapted screenplay award. Sidibe was nominated for actress in a leading role. The distinction matters because the film's acting win was for the supporting performance, while the title character's performer received a nomination.

The literary and screen portrayals made Precious a particularly recognizable character name, carrying the contrast between the word's affectionate meaning and the harsh conditions of the story.

Precious Achiuwa

Precious Achiuwa played college basketball for Memphis in the 2019–20 season. He became the first player in the American Athletic Conference's history to win both Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season.

He averaged 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds across thirty-one games. The combination of scoring and rebounding made him a central figure in that Memphis team and gives the name a prominent masculine sporting bearer alongside its more common female American record.

American popularity

For American girls, Precious reached its largest recorded birth count in 2001, with 746 births and a rank of No. 392. It was recorded for 648 girls in 2000 and 268 in 2010.

In 2025, 51 girls received Precious, placing it at No. 3,158. That peak predates the film adaptation, so the American name's strongest recorded use was already established before the movie's release.

How popular is Precious?

In 2025, Precious ranked #3,158 among girls in the United States, with 51 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for girls in 1897; its largest annual count was 746 in 2001. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.