Given name & surname · also Latin
Prudence
“one who is cautious and exercises good judgment”
Prudence is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “one who is cautious and exercises good judgment.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “one who is cautious and exercises good judgment.”
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 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Prudence through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,256
- 0 boys · 6,256 girls
- Most popular year
- 1943
- 140 babies
- 2025
- 89
- #2,113 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −13%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 89 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,113 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 12.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 140 in 1943. In 2025, Oregon and Pennsylvania shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (7 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,983 as a first name in 2020; 106 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.
Prudence’s family of names
In English usage, Prudence has a diminutive in PRUDY. In French usage, Prudence has a conventional equivalent in the Spanish form Prudencio. Prudence has a related form in Prudencia.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Prudence has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
10 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Pruediminutive · English
- Prudydiminutive · English
- Prudenciavariant
- Prudiminutive · English
- Predentiavariant
- Predenciavariant
- Prudentiavariant
- Prudensiavariant
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Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- PrudencioSpanish
- Prudenteequivalent
- Prudensequivalent
- PrudencjaPolish
- ZuhurneBasque
- PrudencjuszPolish
- PrudentzioBasque
- PrudentiusEnglish
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People named Prudence
- Prudence CrandallCivil rights pioneer, educator, temperance advocate, Connecticut's official State Heroine (1803-1890)
- Prudence SekgodisoSouth African middle-distance runner (born 2002)
- Prudence HewardCanadian artist (1896-1947)
- Prue LeithSouth African-British chef, writer, television personality, businesswomanborn 1940
- Prudence LiewHong Kong singer and actressborn 1964
- Prudence Fowlercyclist from New Zealand (*2003)
- Prudence UkkonikaUgandan female entrepreneur
- Prudence Nobantu MabeleSouth African activist (1971-2017)
- Prudence HymanBritish ballerina and actress (1914-1995)
Characters named Prudence: Prue Halliwell (Charmed).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Prudence, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“grace, charm”
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Graziaplena
“grace”
—
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