Total births
3,929
Boys' name · since 1884
Prentice
3,929 babies named Prentice in U.S. Social Security records since 1884, with the highest year being 1939. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #10965
- among boys today
- 3,929
- born since 1884
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Prentice is the #10965 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 3,929 recorded since 1884.
Prentice has 3,929 recorded births among boys since 1884, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #10965 as of the latest data, more common than 23% of boys, busiest in the 1970s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1884 to 2025.
- #10965 among boys today
- 3,929 born since 1884
- 1970s peak decade
- 23% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Prentice is currently the #10965 boys' name in America, more common than 23% of boys - 3,929 born since 1884, peaking in the 1970s.
- #10965
- among boys today
- 3,929
- born since 1884
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
Prentice vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#10965
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 23% of names given to boys today.
1970s
Peak decade
11% of everyone ever named Prentice was born in this single decade.
1939
Single peak year
60 babies were named Prentice in 1939 - its busiest year on record.
How Prentice compares
3,929 Top 14% higher than 86% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Prentice's all-time total is 11x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Prentice | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,929 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 60 | 23 | 22,252 |
Prentice's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Prentice splits its recorded history at 1962: 47% of all births land in the more recent half, 53% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1897 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1939 peak of 60 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Prentice at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1939
Current rank
#10,965
Active since
1884
Prentice popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1884–2025
- Peak year (1939)
- 60
- Annual births at peak, across 142 years of records
Prentice popularity over time - girls
63 total births recorded since 1918 (Prentice as girls' name)
Prentice by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Prentice's strongest decade.
448 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 11% of all-time use.
Prentice births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 12
1880s
12 births
- 1890s 11
1890s
11 births
- 1900s 51
1900s
51 births
- 1910s
1910s
267 births
- 1920s
1920s
387 births
- 1930s
1930s
371 births
- 1940s
1940s
437 births
- 1950s
1950s
438 births
- 1960s
1960s
420 births
- 1970s
1970s
448 births
- 1980s
1980s
441 births
- 1990s
1990s
250 births
- 2000s 179
2000s
179 births
- 2010s 170
2010s
170 births
- 2020s 47
2020s
47 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 448 births (11% of all-time use).
How Prentice compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Prentice's total volume
Prentice vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Prentice by state
Where Prentice concentrates geographically, total births since 1884
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 268 | 6.8% |
| #2 | Tennessee | | 152 | 3.9% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 109 | 2.8% |
| #4 | Kentucky | | 108 | 2.7% |
| #5 | Louisiana | | 62 | 1.6% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 60 | 1.5% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 54 | 1.4% |
| #8 | California | | 36 | 0.9% |
Texas share of Prentice's total US births 6.8%
Even split
268 of 3,929 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 14 reporting states.
Prentice appears in 14 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Prentice? ▼
Since 1884, Social Security records show 3,929 babies named Prentice. Today it holds rank #10965 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1939, with 60 births.
When was Prentice most popular? ▼
Prentice was most popular in the 1970s decade with 448 total births. The single peak year was 1939.
Where is Prentice most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Prentice are Texas (268 births), Tennessee (152 births), Georgia (109 births).
How long has the name Prentice been used? ▼
Prentice has been recorded in Social Security data since 1884, spanning 142 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Prentice? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Preston, Presley, Prentiss, Prescott, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Prentice's data
- Prentice's decade-level peak was the 1970s (448 total births); usage has since declined to 47 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Prentices (268 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Prentice
Nearby Names Like Prentice
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Prentice
Preston Boy
#330 122,958 births
Presley Boy
#1738 4,945 births
Prentiss Boy
#9921 2,724 births
Prescott Boy
#4086 1,718 births
Prentis Boy
1,260 births
Compare Prentice side by side: Prentice vs Preston Prentice vs Presley Prentice vs Prentiss
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Prentice
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1884–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Prentice: #10965 Boys' Name - 3,929 Births, Peak 1939." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/prentice. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Prentice draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.