Prudence
Girl name · #2100 in 2025 · Very rare
In 2025, 89 baby girls were named Prudence, placing it at #2100 in the official national rankings. A decade ago it stood at #2590, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 20,225 girls born in 2025 was named Prudence.
The 145-year story
Prudence first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 17 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1943, when 140 girls were named Prudence — good for #641 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Prudence per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Prudence against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Prudence in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Prudence is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Prudence will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Prudence is most common
State-level data for Prudence is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Prudence
Statistically, parents drawn to Prudence tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Rosaline, Charolette, Delphine, Dixie, and Dottie.
RosalineCharoletteDelphineDixieDottieImogeneLuanaPhilomena
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Prudence | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 89 | #2099 |
| 2024 | 68 | #2585 |
| 2023 | 79 | #2314 |
| 2022 | 99 | #1974 |
| 2021 | 71 | #2484 |
| 2020 | 84 | #2156 |
| 2019 | 109 | #1850 |
| 2018 | 96 | #2026 |
| 2017 | 96 | #2035 |
| 2016 | 81 | #2321 |
| 2015 | 69 | #2590 |
| 2014 | 61 | #2809 |
| 2013 | 78 | #2344 |
| 2012 | 53 | #3134 |
| 2011 | 82 | #2274 |
| 2010 | 60 | #2870 |
| 2009 | 55 | #3088 |
| 2008 | 36 | #4268 |
| 2007 | 30 | #4808 |
| 2006 | 31 | #4576 |
| 2005 | 24 | #5266 |
| 2004 | 22 | #5555 |
| 2003 | 17 | #6576 |
| 2002 | 15 | #7045 |
| 2001 | 10 | #9351 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Prudence a popular girl name?
Prudence ranked #2100 among girls in 2025 with 89 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2590.
When was the name Prudence most popular?
Prudence peaked in 1943, when 140 American girls received the name (ranked #641 that year). Since 1943 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Prudence?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 20,225 newborn American girls was named Prudence. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.