What is the usual English translation of the Spanish word quinceañera?
Answer
Fifteen-year-old girl
Answer
Fifteen-year-old girl
The usual English translation of quinceañera is fifteen-year-old girl.
The word comes from quince, meaning fifteen, and a feminine ending associated with a girl or young woman. In cultural use, it commonly means the female celebrant whose fifteenth birthday is being marked. English speakers also use the word as the name of the celebration itself.
A translation such as birthday girl can be understandable in context but is less specific, because it does not convey the age or cultural tradition. Likewise, princess is sometimes used informally in party marketing but is not the literal translation.
The word's meaning is connected to the age milestone, while the celebration's symbolism concerns a transition from childhood toward young womanhood. Families may interpret that transition in religious, cultural, or purely personal terms, and the event can be adapted substantially without changing the basic name.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026