Total births
199
Boys' name · since 1881
Primus
Since 1881, U.S. Social Security records show 199 babies named Primus, peaking in 1920. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- 199
- total births
- 1881–2023
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 24%
- born in that decade
Primus is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 199 have been recorded since 1881.
Primus has 199 recorded births among boys since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2023.
- 199 total births
- 1881–2023 years on record
- 1920s peak decade
- 24% born in that decade
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
199 boys have been named Primus since 1881, peaking in the 1920s, last recorded in 2023.
- 199
- total births
- 1881–2023
- years on record
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 24%
- born in that decade
1920s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Primus was born in this single decade.
1920
Single peak year
10 babies were named Primus in 1920 - its busiest year on record.
Primus's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Primus splits its recorded history at 1946: 49% of all births land in the more recent half, 51% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1881 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 10 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Primus at a glance
Last recorded 2023Peak year
1920
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1881
Primus popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2023
- Peak year (1920)
- 10
- Annual births at peak, across 143 years of records
Primus by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Primus's strongest decade.
48 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Primus births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 10
1880s
10 births
- 1910s 18
1910s
18 births
- 1920s
1920s
48 births
- 1930s 11
1930s
11 births
- 1940s
1940s
20 births
- 1950s
1950s
39 births
- 1960s 5
1960s
5 births
- 1970s
1970s
26 births
- 1980s 5
1980s
5 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
- 2010s 6
2010s
6 births
- 2020s 6
2020s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 48 births (24% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Primus? ▼
Primus has been given to 199 babies in the U.S. since 1881, according to SSA data. Its last appearance in the data was 2023. 10 babies were born in 1920, its single highest year.
When was Primus most popular? ▼
Primus was most popular in the 1920s decade with 48 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
How long has the name Primus been used? ▼
Records for Primus go back to 1881, giving 143 years of history through 2023.
What names are similar to Primus? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Prince, Princeton, Price, Primo, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Primus's data
- Primus's decade-level peak was the 1920s (48 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- 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 Primus
Nearby Names Like Primus
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Primus
Prince Boy
#401 23,601 births
Princeton Boy
#614 10,256 births
Price Boy
#2718 3,926 births
Primo Boy
#12412 874 births
Primitivo Boy
742 births
Compare Primus side by side: Primus vs Prince Primus vs Princeton Primus vs Price
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
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, 1881–2023 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Primus: Baby Name Since 1881 - 199 Births, Peak 1920." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/primus. 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 Primus 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.