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Home › Baby Names Directory › Prudence

Prudence

♀ Girl

Pronounced PROO-duhns /ˈpɹuː.dəns/Medium

Meaning: Prudence; good judgment, wisdom, foresight.Medium

In 30 seconds: Prudence is an English virtue name meaning good judgment, wisdom, and foresight.
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningPrudence; good judgment, wisdom, foresight.
U.S. rank (2025)#2113 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births89 girls (0.01% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1943
Total births (all-time)≈ 6,254

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 194318802025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Prudence belongs to the family of English virtue names, naming the quality of good judgment, wisdom and foresight directly. It traces back to Latin roots preserved in forms like Prudentia, the source the English name draws on.

Its Latin and Romance relatives, such as Prudencia and the masculine Prudentius, show the same virtue carried into other languages with their own endings.

Did you know? The meaning usually attached to Prudence is 'prudent, wise, skilled', and that core idea is what gives the name most of its long-term appeal.
Overall data confidence 78%
Behind the Name - Prudence — etymology, usage, pronunciation, and related formsU.S. Social Security Administration — 2024 popularity rank and count supplied in the batch input CSVEtymology — Prudence — meaning/etymology

Variations

PrudentiaPrudentiusPrudenzioPrudenciaPrudencio

Nicknames

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Famous Bearers

  • ★Prudence Farrow (1948-)
    American meditation teacher and author who inspired the Beatles song "Dear Prudence"
  • ★Prudence Crandall (1803-1890)
    American educator who ran an early school for Black girls in Connecticut
  • ★Prudence Bushnell (1946-)
    American diplomat and former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya
  • ★Prudence Liew (1964-)
    Hong Kong pop singer and actress
  • ★Prudence Hyman (1914-1995)
    British ballerina and actress

If you like Prudence…

Cadence— shares the -ce ending
Kadence— lands in the same popularity range
Constance— echoes that soft -ce sound
Eunice— a similarly popular pick
Temperance— shares the -ce ending

Explore names like Prudence

By themeenglishfrench
By meaningWisdom

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Prudence mean?

Prudence is usually explained as meaning 'prudent, wise, skilled' and is most often linked with English tradition.

How do you pronounce Prudence?

It's commonly said PROO-duhns /ˈpɹuː.dəns/.

Is Prudence a boy or girl name?

In this batch and in recent U.S. usage data, Prudence is used as a girl name.

How popular is Prudence?

In 2024, Prudence ranked #2588 in the U.S. for girls, with 68 births recorded.

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