Girls' name · since 1880
Prudence
6,256 babies named Prudence in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1943. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2,229 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,100 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,256
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
6,256 babies have been named Prudence since 1880, making it today's #2100 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Prudence recorded 6,256 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #2100 nationally today, ahead of 88% of girls, peaking in the 1940s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #2,229 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #2,100 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 6,256 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Prudence ranks #2,229 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,100 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 6,256 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #2,229 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #2,100 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,256
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
Prudence's 6,256 recorded births place it above 96.91% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
25 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Prudence compares
6,256 Top 12% higher than 88% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Prudence's all-time total is 17x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Prudence | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,256 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 140 | 21 | 19,840 |
Prudence's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Prudence's full recorded timeline at 1952, 48% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 52% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1993, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1943 peak of 140 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Prudence popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1943)
- 140
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Prudence by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (952 births, 15% of the file).
1940s was Prudence's strongest decade.
952 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Prudence births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 132
1880s
132 births
- 1890s 179
1890s
179 births
- 1900s 217
1900s
217 births
- 1910s
1910s
444 births
- 1920s
1920s
634 births
- 1930s
1930s
547 births
- 1940s
1940s
952 births
- 1950s
1950s
551 births
- 1960s 350
1960s
350 births
- 1970s
1970s
537 births
- 1980s 118
1980s
118 births
- 1990s 70
1990s
70 births
- 2000s 250
2000s
250 births
- 2010s
2010s
785 births
- 2020s
2020s
490 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 952 births (15% of all-time use).
How Prudence compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Prudence's total volume
Prudence by state
Where Prudence concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 583 | 9.3% |
| #2 | California | | 215 | 3.4% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 189 | 3.0% |
| #4 | Massachusetts | | 141 | 2.3% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 135 | 2.2% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 111 | 1.8% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 101 | 1.6% |
| #8 | Texas | | 85 | 1.4% |
583 of 6,256 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 25 reporting states.
Prudence appears in 25 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Prudence? ▼
Where does Prudence sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Prudence most popular? ▼
Where is Prudence most popular? ▼
How long has the name Prudence been used? ▼
What names are similar to Prudence? ▼
What to do with Prudence's data
- Prudence's usage has stayed within range of its 1940s decade-level peak (952 total births) through the 2020s (490) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Prudences (583 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Prudence
Nearby Names Like Prudence
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Prudence
Compare Prudence side by side: Prudence vs Prudie Prudence vs Prudy Prudence vs Prue
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Prudence
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Prudence: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1943)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Prudence 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 August 2026.