Prentiss
One of English origin, derived from a place name meaning "beside the priest's estate".
Name Census estimates that about 1,765 living Americans carry the first name Prentiss. It is a predominantly male name (97.7% of registrations). The average person named Prentiss today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prentiss births was 1951 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prentiss. 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
- • Although Prentiss is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 65 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 194,195 Americans
Peak year
1951
50 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,620
Tracked since 1887
Gender
Gender distribution for Prentiss
Prentiss leans heavily male at 97.7% of total registrations, but 65 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Prentiss as a male name
- Ranked #10,620 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1943 (47 births)
Prentiss as a female name
- Ranked #17,553 in 2018
- 5 female births in 2018
- Peak: 2012 (10 births)
Popularity
Prentiss: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Prentiss from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 350 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Prentiss 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 Prentiss during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Prentiss' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois recorded the most babies named Prentiss, while Texas, Florida, Alabama recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 92 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Prentiss
The name Prentiss has its origins in Old English, derived from the words "prentis" or "prentice," meaning an apprentice or someone learning a trade or skill under a master. This name emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th to 15th centuries, and was primarily used in England and surrounding regions.
Prentiss was a common occupational surname during this period, given to individuals who were apprentices in various crafts or trades. Over time, it evolved into a given name, particularly for males. The earliest recorded instances of the name Prentiss can be found in historical records from medieval England, such as parish registers and census documents.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name Prentiss was Sir Prentiss Browne, an English knight who lived in the late 14th century and served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. Another notable figure was Prentiss Ingraham, an American author and newspaper editor who lived from 1843 to 1904 and wrote several popular dime novels and adventure stories.
In the 19th century, Prentiss Mellen (1764-1840) was an American politician and jurist who served as the fifth Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Prentiss Ingraham (1843-1904), mentioned earlier, was a prolific American author known for his dime novels and adventure stories during the same period.
Moving into the 20th century, Prentiss Taylor (1907-1991) was an American architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of Baltimore's Inner Harbor area. Prentiss Moore (1919-2007) was an American chemist and researcher who made important contributions to the understanding of the structure and properties of organic compounds.
While the name Prentiss has maintained a consistent presence throughout history, it has never been among the most popular given names. However, its unique origins and connection to the medieval apprenticeship system have made it a distinctive and intriguing choice for parents seeking a name with historical significance and a touch of tradition.
People
Prentiss + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prentiss 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
Prentiss: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prentiss?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,765 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prentiss 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 194,195 US residents.
Is Prentiss a common name?
We classify Prentiss as "Rare". It ranks above 93.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,789 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Prentiss most popular?
The single biggest year for Prentiss was 1951, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prentiss is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Prentiss a male name?
Yes, 97.7% of people registered as Prentiss 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.