Princess

Princess. Now there is a name that announces itself with complete confidence.

This name has a history that stretches back to the Middle Ages, when the word itself came into English through Old French and Latin, carrying the meaning of a royal daughter, a female ruler, someone of dignity and elevated standing. For centuries it lived as a title. And then, at some point, people decided it was simply too beautiful to leave on a pedestal. They gave it to their daughters as a name. A gift.

In the United States, Princess found a particular moment of celebration in the two-thousands, embraced especially within African American communities who recognized what the name truly offers. A declaration. A sense of worth. A reminder, given at birth, that this person matters.

And here is a wonderful fact. Princess is one of the very few English words used directly as a legal given name in the United States. Most names come filtered through centuries of translation and transformation. Princess arrived whole, exactly as it sounds, carrying every ounce of its meaning with it.

Famous namesakes? Princess Nokia, the bold and creative rapper and activist. Princess Grace Kelly, who began as a Hollywood icon and became literal royalty as Princess of Monaco. And of course, Princess Leia, one of the most beloved characters in cinema history. A leader, a fighter, a woman of extraordinary courage.

Confident, compassionate, self-assured. Those are the qualities that follow this name through history.

Princess. Whoever gave you that name saw something in you from the very beginning.