Given name & surname
Prue
“one who is cautious and exercises good judgment”·“resembling a little plum”
In English use, Prue is a diminutive of Prudence. One English interpretation is “one who is cautious and exercises good judgment.” Prue is a short form of Prunella. One Latin interpretation is “resembling a little plum.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Prue is a diminutive of Prudence. One English interpretation is “one who is cautious and exercises good judgment.” Prue is a short form of Prunella. One Latin interpretation is “resembling a little plum.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Prue is a diminutive of Prudence. An origin associated with Prudence is Latin. Prue is a short form of Prunella. A possible origin is Late Latin, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Prue is a diminutive of Prudence. In English usage, Prue as a surname developed from Prou.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1925. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Prue through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 101
- 6 boys · 95 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 18 babies
- 2025
- 17
- #6,764 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 17 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,764 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 106 as a first name in 2020; 1,743 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.
Prue’s family of names
In English usage, Prue is a diminutive of Prudence. In English usage, Prue as a surname developed from the French form Prou. In English usage, Prue has a related form in Pru.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
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 Prue
- Prue LeithSouth African-British chef, writer, television personality, businesswomanborn 1940
- Prue WattAustralian Paralympic swimmerborn 1987
Characters named Prue: Prue Halliwell (Charmed).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Prue, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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