Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 2021

Primrose

Meaning wood, tree Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,561 Trend → Stable

The surname derives from a place name in Fife, Scotland; Watson (1926) derived this from Pictish/Proto-Brythonic *prenn (“wood, tree”) + *rros (“moor, heath”).

Rank 2025
#2,561
among girls · ↓446 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
69
named Primrose · -24% vs 2024
How common
1 in 23,294
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2021
93 babies
All-time total
1,033
#7,341 all-time among girls
First recorded
1914
in Social Security records

Primrose popularity over time

1,033 babies have been named Primrose since 1914, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.020.040.060.0818801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2021Girls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s 17 2 – #4,016
1920s 30 3 +76% #3,354
1930s 19 2 -37% #3,276
1940s 7 1 -63% #3,776
1950s – – – –
1960s 5 1 – #7,081
1970s 6 1 +20% #8,131
1980s 5 1 -17% #11,785
1990s – – – –
2000s – – – –
2010s 427 43 – #2,151
2020s (to 2025) 517 86 +102% #2,068

Where Primrose is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 69 0.04 outside top 500
2027 69 0.04 outside top 500
2028 69 0.04 outside top 500
2029 69 0.04 outside top 500
2030 70 0.04 outside top 500

Where Primrose is most popular

Girls named Primrose per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.053 per 1,000. Strongest in Missouri, Virginia, and Washington.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Primrose born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Missouri 11 0.091 +71%
Virginia 12 0.070 +32%
Washington 10 0.069 +30%
Pennsylvania 12 0.051 -5%
Arizona 7 0.050 -6%
Wisconsin 5 0.049 -9%
California 37 0.044 -17%
North Carolina 10 0.044 -18%
Illinois 10 0.044 -18%
Florida 18 0.042 -21%
Texas 23 0.029 -46%
New Jersey 5 0.028 -48%
New York 5 0.013 -76%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Primrose

Primrose is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,561 in 2025 with 69 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1914, 1,033 American babies have been named Primrose. Its peak came in 2021, when 93 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Primrose stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Primrose?

The median living Primrose is about 5 years old; half are between 2 and 8. An estimated 1,000 people named Primrose are alive in the United States today.

median 5 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Primrose year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 69 #2,561
2024 91 #2,115
2023 91 #2,120
2022 88 #2,170
2021 93 #2,068
2020 85 #2,147
2019 87 #2,151
2018 77 #2,380
2017 59 #2,865
2016 59 #2,895
2015 51 #3,245
2014 42 #3,703
2013 35 #4,224
2012 17 #7,386
2011 – –
2010 – –
2009 – –
2008 – –
2007 – –
2006 – –
2005 – –
2004 – –
2003 – –
2002 – –
2001 – –
2000 – –
1995 – –
1990 – –
1985 – –
1980 – –
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 5 #7,081
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 7 #3,776
1935 – –
1930 9 #3,276
1925 – –
1920 5 #5,612
1915 5 #4,823
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Primrose, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Primrose?

The median living Primrose is about 5 years old. Half of all living Primroses are between 2 and 8 years old.

How many people named Primrose are alive today?

An estimated 1,000 people named Primrose are alive in the United States, based on 1,033 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Primrose mean?

The surname derives from a place name in Fife, Scotland; Watson (1926) derived this from Pictish/Proto-Brythonic *prenn (“wood, tree”) + *rros (“moor, heath”).

How popular is the name Primrose in 2025?

Primrose ranked #2,561 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 69 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Primrose?

1,033 babies have been named Primrose in the United States since 1914, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Primrose most popular?

Primrose peaked in 2021, when 93 newborns received the name.

Is Primrose a boy or girl name?

Primrose is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Primrose rising or falling?

Primrose is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Primrose become more popular?

Primrose looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 70 girls named Primrose in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Primrose

Names that sound and feel close to Primrose: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Primrose with similar names → More names starting with P →