Praise
A feminine given name derived from the English word for expressing gratitude.
Name Census estimates that about 1,226 living Americans carry the first name Praise. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 70.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Praise today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Praise births was 2019 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Praise. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Praise is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 279,571 Americans
Peak year
2019
79 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,858
Tracked since 1990
Gender
Gender distribution for Praise
Praise is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,238 total registrations, 370 (29.9%) were male and 868 (70.1%) were female.
Praise as a male name
- Ranked #4,512 in 2024
- 23 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2015 (27 births)
Praise as a female name
- Ranked #3,858 in 2024
- 39 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2019 (55 births)
Popularity
Praise: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Praise from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 586 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Praise remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Praise by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Praise during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Praises live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, Maryland, New York recorded the most babies named Praise, while Massachusetts, New Jersey, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Praise
The name Praise has its origins in the English language, derived from the verb "to praise," which means to express admiration or approval. This name became popular during the Protestant Reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries, when English Puritans embraced virtue names that reflected their religious beliefs and values.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Praise can be found in the Puritan religious text "The Spiritual Navigation" published in 1615. This work by John Everard includes a character named Praise-God Barebones, highlighting the Puritans' penchant for using such names to honor their faith.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Praise. One prominent example is Praise-God Trant, an English Puritan minister who lived from 1619 to 1669. He served as a chaplain in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War and was known for his fervent religious beliefs.
Another individual with this name was Praise-God Barebone, a prominent English Puritan who lived from 1598 to 1679. He was a member of the Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Nominated Parliament, which ruled England for a brief period in 1653 during the Interregnum between the reigns of Charles I and Charles II.
In the United States, one notable figure with the name Praise was Praise Lewis, an African American abolitionist and writer who lived from 1825 to 1892. He was a former slave who became a prominent advocate for the abolition of slavery and the rights of African Americans.
Another individual with this name was Praise Deverell, an English soldier and politician who lived from 1658 to 1739. He served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in various military campaigns during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
While the name Praise was more prevalent in earlier centuries, particularly among Puritan communities, it has become less common in modern times. However, its historical significance as a virtue name reflecting religious devotion and admiration remains an integral part of its legacy.
People
Praise + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Praise as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Praise: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Praise?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,226 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Praise going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 279,571 US residents.
Is Praise a common name?
We classify Praise as "Rare". It ranks above 91.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,238 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Praise most popular?
The single biggest year for Praise was 2019, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Praise is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Praise a female name?
Yes, 70.1% of people registered as Praise in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.