Prevail
To gain mastery, triumph, or victory; to become predominant.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Prevail. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Prevail today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prevail births was 2018 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prevail. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Prevail with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Prevail. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2018
5 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,623
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Prevail: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Prevail 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 Prevail during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Prevail
The name Prevail is an English word derived from the French verb "prevaloir," which means "to gain advantage or superiority." It comes from the Latin word "praevalere," meaning "to have greater force or influence." The name is relatively modern and does not have any known cultural or linguistic origins beyond English.
Prevail first emerged as a given name in the late 19th century, likely inspired by its meaning of overcoming challenges and being victorious. It was a rare name choice during this time, as most parents preferred traditional names with religious or historical ties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Prevail as a first name is Prevail Laurie, born in 1872 in Illinois, United States. While little is known about this individual, their unique name suggests a desire for their child to prevail in life's struggles.
Another early bearer of the name was Prevail Jernigan, born in 1885 in North Carolina, United States. Jernigan lived through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time of significant social and political change in the country.
In the 20th century, Prevail gained some popularity as a unisex name, particularly in the United States. Notable individuals with this name include:
1. Prevail Hardee (1901-1982), an American football player and coach who played for the University of Tennessee and later coached at several colleges.
2. Prevail Gaines (1918-1997), an American civil rights activist and community organizer in Boston, Massachusetts. She worked tirelessly to improve housing conditions and educational opportunities for African Americans.
3. Prevail Roberts (1932-2011), an American author and journalist who wrote several books on history and social issues, including "The Prevail Roberts Reader" and "Prevail Roberts on Black Power."
4. Prevail Taylor (born 1965), an American academic and scholar of African American literature and culture. She is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
5. Prevail Saunders (born 1978), an American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA for several teams, including the Seattle Storm and the Los Angeles Sparks.
While not a common name, Prevail has been used throughout history as a given name, often reflecting a desire for strength, determination, and overcoming adversity. Its meaning and message have resonated with some parents, leading them to bestow this unique name upon their children.
People
Prevail + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prevail 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
Prevail: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prevail?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prevail 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Prevail a common name?
We classify Prevail as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Prevail most popular?
The single biggest year for Prevail was 2018, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prevail is about 8 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 Prevail in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Prevail a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Prevail 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 Prevail still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Prevail 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 Prevail 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 many people share the name Prevail?
You can see how many Americans are named Prevail on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.