Quinceañero is commonly used for a boy’s Mexican coming-of-age celebration at age 15.
The masculine form refers both to the boy celebrating his fifteenth birthday and, in some usage, to the celebration itself. The feminine form is quinceañera. Both words come from quince, the Spanish word for fifteen, and are connected with the broader tradition of marking the transition from childhood to young adulthood.
Quinceañero celebrations are less standardized than quinceañeras. Some families hold a party modeled closely on a quinceañera, while others use a different format or do not celebrate the fifteenth birthday in this way.
The term is sometimes confused with quince años, which literally refers to fifteen years and can describe the birthday celebration more generally. Regional vocabulary varies, so usage is not identical in every Spanish-speaking community.