The girl celebrating her fifteenth birthday in a quinceañera is called the quinceañera.
The term comes from Spanish and can refer to the celebrant herself as well as, in common usage, the celebration. It is the feminine form associated with a girl reaching fifteen. In some communities, a boy’s comparable celebration is called a quinceañero, using the masculine form.
The quinceañera is distinct from the damas and chambelanes, who may form part of her ceremonial court. She is also distinct from padrinos, or sponsors, and from guests attending the reception. Keeping these roles separate helps explain descriptions of the traditional program.
Families use the term across many different formats. A quinceañera may include a Catholic service, a secular ceremony, a formal dance, or a small gathering at home. None of those individual features is required for the word to identify the celebrant. The defining connection is the fifteenth-birthday milestone.