Given name & surname
Prosper
“a fortunate man”
Prosper is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “a fortunate man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “a fortunate man.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Prosper through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 754
- 678 boys · 76 girls
- Most popular year
- 2024
- 61 babies
- 2025
- 41
- #3,493 for boys · #11,683 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +76%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 33 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,493 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 84.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 8 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (7). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 858 as a first name in 2020; 1,611 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Prosper’s family of names
Prosper shares a linguistic root with Prospero. Prosper has a related form in Prospera. Prosper has a related form in Prospero.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Prosper
- Prosper MériméeFrench writer, archaeologist and historian (1803–1870)
- Prosper Jolyot de CrébillonFrench poet (1674-1762)
- Prosper of Aquitaine5th-century Roman Christian writer390–463
- Prosper GuérangerFrench Benedictine abbot (1806–1875)1805–1875
- Prosper BruggemanBelgian rower1870–1939
- Prosper AvrilPresident of Haitiborn 1937
- Prosper PoulletBelgian former prime minister (1868-1937)
- Prosper-Olivier LissagarayFrench journalist and socialist (1838–1901)
- Prosper GarnotFrench scientist (1794–1838)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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