Prentis
A variant of Prentice, an English surname given name meaning "apprentice".
Name Census estimates that about 700 living Americans carry the first name Prentis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Prentis today is around 57 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prentis births was 1942 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prentis. 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.
People living today
700
~ 1 in 489,649 Americans
Peak year
1942
27 babies that year
Average age
57
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,593
Tracked since 1904
Popularity
Prentis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Prentis from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 195 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Prentis 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 Prentis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Prentis' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Mississippi, Louisiana, Michigan recorded the most babies named Prentis, while Alabama, Michigan, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Prentis
The name Prentis is an English variant of the word "prentice," which means an apprentice or learner. It is derived from the Old French "aprentiz," which in turn comes from the Latin "apprendere," meaning "to learn." The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the late 16th century in England.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Prentis Browne, an English playwright and poet who lived from around 1585 to 1633. His works included the play "The Shepherd's Pipe" and several poetry collections.
In the 17th century, Prentis Sargent was a prominent figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Born in England in 1601, he emigrated to America and became a successful merchant and landowner in the town of Malden.
During the American Revolutionary War, Prentis Mellen served as a captain in the Continental Army. He fought in several major battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.
In the 19th century, Prentis Ingraham was an American author and naval officer. Born in 1805, he wrote several popular adventure novels, including "The Marquis of Carabas" and "The Quadroone."
Another notable bearer of the name was Prentis Hancock, a prominent businessman and philanthropist from West Virginia. Born in 1857, he made his fortune in the coal and railroad industries and donated generously to educational and charitable causes.
While the name Prentis is not extremely common, it has persisted throughout history, often associated with individuals who made significant contributions in various fields, such as literature, military service, and business.
People
Prentis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prentis 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
Prentis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prentis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 700 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prentis 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 489,649 US residents.
Is Prentis a common name?
We classify Prentis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,260 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Prentis most popular?
The single biggest year for Prentis was 1942, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prentis is about 57 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Prentis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Prentis 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.
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.