Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1943

Prudence

Gender Girl Rank 2025 #2,113 Trend ↓ Falling 16%

A female given name from English, one of the Puritan virtue names.

Rank 2025
#2,113
among girls · ↑489 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
89
named Prudence · +31% vs 2024
How common
1 in 18,059
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1943
140 babies
All-time total
6,256
#2,229 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Prudence popularity over time

6,256 babies have been named Prudence since 1880, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1880Girls

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 132 13 – #415
1890s 179 18 +36% #614
1900s 217 22 +21% #685
1910s 444 44 +105% #803
1920s 634 63 +43% #815
1930s 547 55 -14% #847
1940s 952 95 +74% #644
1950s 551 55 -42% #1,160
1960s 350 35 -36% #1,726
1970s 537 54 +53% #1,130
1980s 118 12 -78% #4,120
1990s 70 7 -41% #7,398
2000s 250 25 +257% #3,120
2010s 785 79 +214% #1,858
2020s (to 2025) 490 82 +4% #1,986

Where Prudence 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 87 0.05 outside top 500
2027 85 0.05 outside top 500
2028 84 0.05 outside top 500
2029 83 0.05 outside top 500
2030 82 0.05 outside top 500

Where Prudence is most popular

Girls named Prudence per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.050 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, Indiana, and Michigan.

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 Prudence 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
Oregon 7 0.108 +115%
Indiana 15 0.107 +114%
Michigan 11 0.060 +21%
Kentucky 5 0.058 +17%
Pennsylvania 13 0.055 +10%
Alabama 5 0.053 +6%
Ohio 12 0.051 ≈ national
Missouri 6 0.050 ≈ national
Texas 20 0.025 -50%
California 17 0.020 -60%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
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 Prudence

Prudence is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #2,113 in 2025 with 89 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 6,256 American babies have been named Prudence. Its peak came in 1943, when 140 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1940s.

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 Prudence stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Prudence?

The median living Prudence is about 51 years old; half are between 11 and 72. An estimated 3,800 people named Prudence are alive in the United States today.

median 51 020406080100

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

Prudence year by year

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

Year Girls Girls rank
2025 89 #2,113
2024 68 #2,602
2023 79 #2,331
2022 99 #1,986
2021 71 #2,504
2020 84 #2,167
2019 109 #1,858
2018 96 #2,044
2017 96 #2,051
2016 81 #2,341
2015 69 #2,613
2014 61 #2,836
2013 78 #2,361
2012 53 #3,159
2011 82 #2,292
2010 60 #2,894
2009 55 #3,120
2008 36 #4,335
2007 30 #4,914
2006 31 #4,659
2005 24 #5,395
2004 22 #5,706
2003 17 #6,820
2002 15 #7,358
2001 10 #9,924
2000 10 #9,709
1995 12 #7,398
1990 8 #9,907
1985 12 #5,943
1980 14 #5,158
1975 48 #1,895
1970 64 #1,540
1965 36 #1,944
1960 38 #1,849
1955 48 #1,476
1950 64 #1,160
1945 96 #766
1940 65 #892
1935 56 #933
1930 58 #969
1925 84 #815
1920 74 #844
1915 42 #1,037
1910 18 #1,057
1905 17 #918
1900 28 #685
1895 14 #887
1890 19 #614
1885 14 #604
1880 17 #415

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Prudence?

The median living Prudence is about 51 years old. Half of all living Prudences are between 11 and 72 years old.

How many people named Prudence are alive today?

An estimated 3,800 people named Prudence are alive in the United States, based on 6,256 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Prudence mean?

A female given name from English, one of the Puritan virtue names.

How popular is the name Prudence in 2025?

Prudence ranked #2,113 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 89 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Prudence?

6,256 babies have been named Prudence in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Prudence most popular?

Prudence peaked in 1943, when 140 newborns received the name.

Is Prudence a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Prudence rising or falling?

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

Will Prudence become more popular?

Prudence is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 82 girls named Prudence in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Prudence

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

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