Priscilla is an English female given name adopted from Latin Prisca, derived from priscus.

There is a theory that this biblical character was the author of the Letter to the Hebrews.

The name first appears in the New Testament either as Priscilla or Prisca, a female leader in early Christianity.

[2][3] The name also appears along with Maximilla, referring to two female leaders of the Montanist movement of the 2nd century AD.

It increased in usage in the United States in the 1930s due to the influence of actress Priscilla Lane and again in the late 1970s and early 1980s due to the influence of actress Priscilla Presley.