The honoree in a quinceañera is called a quinceañera, a Spanish term meaning “fifteen-year-old girl.”
The word is formed from quince, meaning fifteen, and the feminine ending associated with a girl or young woman. In English, quinceañera can refer both to the celebrant and to the broader birthday celebration marking her fifteenth year.
The masculine form quinceañero is used in some communities for a boy’s comparable celebration. The English spelling often preserves the ñ, which represents the palatal nasal sound in Spanish. Writing quinceanera without the tilde is common in informal English, but quinceañera is the standard Spanish spelling.
Usage is not identical everywhere. In some Latin American countries, the event is called quince años, while quinceañera may more specifically identify the young woman. Both expressions are widely understood in Spanish-speaking communities.