What Spanish noun usually identifies the girl celebrated at a quinceañera?

The Spanish noun quinceañera usually identifies the girl celebrated at a quinceañera.

The word is feminine and is formed from quince, “fifteen,” with a suffix associated with a person connected to an age or occasion. In everyday English, quinceañera can also mean the party or the broader coming-of-age celebration, so context determines whether it names the person or event.

The term should not be confused with madrina, which means a female sponsor or godmother, or dama, which can refer to a female attendant in a ceremonial court. Those roles are participants around the honoree, not the honoree herself.

Regional usage is flexible. Some families use quince años, fiesta de quince años, or simply quince for the event. The central meaning remains the fifteenth-birthday milestone.