Premier
A masculine French name meaning first or foremost in importance.
Name Census estimates that about 49 living Americans carry the first name Premier. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Premier today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Premier births was 2022 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Premier. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Premier. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
49
~ 1 in 6,994,986 Americans
Peak year
2022
8 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,619
Tracked since 2010
Popularity
Premier: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Premier from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 26 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Premier 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 Premier during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Premier
The name Premier originates from the French language, deriving from the word "premier," which means "first" or "foremost." This name has its roots in the Latin word "primarius," which also carries the meaning of being first or primary. The name Premier can be traced back to the Middle Ages in France, where it was used to denote someone who held a prominent or leading position.
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, the title "Premier" was often bestowed upon high-ranking officials or noblemen who held significant authority within the royal court or government. It became a title of distinction, signifying the holder's preeminent status and influence.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Premier was Premier de Brie, a French nobleman who lived in the 13th century and served as a trusted advisor to King Louis IX. Another notable figure was Premier de Guise, a prominent French military leader during the 16th century Wars of Religion.
In the realm of literature, the name Premier appears in various works, including the 14th-century romance "Le Roman de la Rose" by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun, where a character named Premier represents the concept of primacy or being first.
Throughout history, several influential figures have borne the name Premier. One such individual was Premier d'Escoville (1620-1675), a French jurist and statesman who played a significant role in the administration of King Louis XIV's reign.
Another notable figure was Premier de Cordova (1798-1868), a Spanish military leader and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Spain during the turbulent years of the 19th century.
In the field of arts and culture, Premier Fournier (1834-1901) was a renowned French painter and sculptor known for his neoclassical works, which adorned many public buildings in Paris.
Across different eras and cultures, the name Premier has been associated with individuals who have achieved distinction, prominence, or held positions of leadership and authority. While the name's origins are firmly rooted in French and Latin, its connotations of primacy and preeminence have transcended linguistic and cultural boundaries, making it a name with a rich historical legacy.
People
Premier + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Premier 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
Premier: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Premier?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 49 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Premier 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 6,994,986 US residents.
Is Premier a common name?
We classify Premier as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 49 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Premier most popular?
The single biggest year for Premier was 2022, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Premier is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Premier in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Premier a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Premier in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Premier still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Premier in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Premier can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Premier?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.