Prospero
Prospero is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
- Italian
- Spanish
Meaning & Origin of Prospero
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Prospero is a fictional character and the protagonist of William Shakespeare's play The Tempest.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Italian
- Spanish

The Story of Prospero
American parents first put Prospero on the record books as a baby boy name in 1915, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1928, when 8 Prosperos were born — ranking #3,076 that year. The 1920s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 46% of all recorded Prosperos. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 1975 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 71 Prosperos have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Prospero
Phonetically similar names — useful when Prospero is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Prosperi
- Prepare
- Prosper
- Perspire
- Prepares
- Prosecco
- Prospers
- Perspires
- Passero
- Proceso
- Procerus
- Respiro
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Prospero
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About the name Prospero
Prospero is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1915 and has accumulated 71 births in the dataset. Prospero's peak popularity came in 1928 when it ranked #3,076. Use the chart and map above to compare Prospero's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1928 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.