Prudence
Prudence is a feminine given name. The name is a Medieval form of the Latin Prudentia, meaning prudence, i.e. good judgement.
Meaning & Origin of Prudence
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Prudence is a feminine given name. The name is a Medieval form of the Latin Prudentia, meaning prudence, i.e. good judgement.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Prudence
Prudence first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 17 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1943, when 140 Prudences were born — ranking #642 that year. As of 2026, Prudence ranks #2,488 for baby girls with 72 births, gradually falling (-14%). In total, more than 6K Prudences have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Prudence
Phonetically similar names — useful when Prudence is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Pruden
- Prudency
- Pretense
- Pretence
- Prudent
- Prodan
- Broadens
- Paradis
- Presence
- Produce
- Proteins
- Province
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Prudence
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About the name Prudence
Prudence is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 6K births in the dataset. Prudence's peak popularity came in 1943 when it ranked #403. Use the chart and map above to compare Prudence's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1943 →
- Names of the 1940s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- Browse all girl 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.