Prudence
A feminine name of Latin origin signifying wisdom, sound judgment, and discretion.
Name Census estimates that about 3,298 living Americans carry the first name Prudence. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Prudence today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prudence births was 1943 (140 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prudence. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Prudence with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
3.3K
~ 1 in 103,928 Americans
Peak year
1943
140 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,588
Tracked since 1880
Census
Prudence in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,983 people with the first name Prudence, which placed it at #4,610 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#4,610
National first-name rank
People counted
4.0K
3,983 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
70.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Prudence
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Prudence is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Prudence described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Prudence at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.7% · 2,815
- Black or African American16.7% · 666
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 174
- Two or more races4.0% · 160
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 34
Popularity
Prudence: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Prudence from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 952 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1940s peak, Prudence remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Prudence by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Prudence during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Prudences live
The SSA's state-level files cover 25 states and territories. New York, California, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Prudence, while Minnesota, Kentucky, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 71 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Prudence
The name Prudence originates from the Latin word "prudentia", which means wisdom, good judgment, or discretion. It is derived from the Latin word "prudens", meaning "foreseeing, wise, or skilled". The name has its roots in ancient Roman culture and was used as a virtue name, representing the quality of prudence or good judgment.
In ancient Roman philosophy, Prudence was regarded as one of the four cardinal virtues, along with Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude. It was considered a crucial virtue for making wise decisions and exercising practical wisdom in life. The personification of Prudence was often depicted in art and literature as a woman holding a mirror, symbolizing self-reflection and foresight.
One of the earliest known references to the name Prudence can be found in the Bible. In the Book of Proverbs, Prudence is personified as a woman who calls out to people to follow her path of wisdom and understanding. This biblical reference likely contributed to the name's popularity among Christians.
The name Prudence gained widespread use during the Renaissance period, particularly in England and other parts of Europe. It was favored by Puritans, who valued moral virtues and often chose names that reflected their religious beliefs.
Notable historical figures with the name Prudence include:
1. Prudence Crandall (1803-1890), an American educator and abolitionist known for her efforts to establish one of the first integrated schools in the United States.
2. Prudence Penelope Pollitt (1631-1669), an English Puritan writer and poet, known for her religious works and her defense of women's education.
3. Prudence Heward (1896-1947), a Canadian painter and one of the leading figures of the Beaver Hall Group, known for her bold and unconventional portraits.
4. Prudence Skynner (1886-1969), an American feminist and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement in the United States.
5. Prudence Wright (1917-1986), an American actress and singer, best known for her role as the Milky Way Lady in the Milky Way candy bar commercials.
The name Prudence has been used throughout history as a symbol of wisdom, foresight, and good judgment. It has been embraced by various cultures and religions, reflecting the universal appreciation for these virtues in human conduct and decision-making.
People
Prudence + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prudence as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Prudence: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prudence?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,298 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prudence going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 103,928 US residents.
Is Prudence a common name?
We classify Prudence as "Rare". It ranks above 95.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6,165 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Prudence most popular?
The single biggest year for Prudence was 1943, when 140 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prudence is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Prudence in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,983 people with the name Prudence, or 1.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,610 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Prudence in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Prudence?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Prudence appears almost entirely female. Of the 3,983 people counted with this name, 99.2% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Prudence?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Prudence is White at 70.7%. The next largest groups are Black (16.7%) and Hispanic (4.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Prudence most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Prudence in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.7% (2,815 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Prudence in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Prudence a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Prudence in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Prudence still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Prudence in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Prudence can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Prudence?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.