Prim
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "first" or "delicate".
Name Census estimates that about 216 living Americans carry the first name Prim. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Prim today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prim births was 2017 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prim. 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
216
~ 1 in 1,586,826 Americans
Peak year
2017
26 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,243
Tracked since 2013
Popularity
Prim: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Prim from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 125 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Prim remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Prim 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 Prim 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 Prim
The name Prim is derived from the Latin word "primus," meaning "first" or "primary." It is believed to have originated during the Roman Empire, when it was used as a cognomen (a personal name or nickname) to denote someone who was the firstborn child or the most important person in a family or group.
In ancient Roman culture, the concept of primogeniture, or the right of the firstborn son to inherit the family's property and titles, was deeply ingrained. As such, the name Prim carried a certain prestige and was often given to the eldest son in noble or wealthy families.
The earliest recorded use of the name Prim dates back to the 1st century AD, when it appeared in various Roman inscriptions and historical documents. One notable example is Quintus Fabius Primus, a Roman senator and military commander who lived during the reign of Emperor Domitian (81-96 AD).
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Prim remained relatively uncommon in Europe, primarily used by families with Roman ancestry or those who valued classical traditions. However, during the Renaissance period, there was a resurgence of interest in classical literature and culture, and the name Prim experienced a modest revival.
One famous historical figure bearing the name Prim was Jacobus Primus (James I of England, 1566-1625), who united the crowns of England and Scotland and commissioned the King James Bible translation. Another notable figure was Prim Visconti (1552-1592), an Italian architect and engineer who designed several significant buildings in Milan.
In the 19th century, the name Prim gained some popularity, particularly in England and the United States. One notable bearer of the name was Prim Bateman (1801-1868), an English architect and surveyor who designed several churches and public buildings in London.
Another historical figure with the name Prim was Juan Prim y Prats (1814-1870), a Spanish general and statesman who played a crucial role in the Glorious Revolution of 1868, which led to the overthrow of Queen Isabella II and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in Spain.
In more recent times, the name Prim has remained relatively uncommon, though it has been used occasionally as a given name or as a nickname derived from other names such as Primrose or Primavera.
People
Prim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prim 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
Prim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 216 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prim 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 1,586,826 US residents.
Is Prim a common name?
We classify Prim as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 217 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Prim most popular?
The single biggest year for Prim was 2017, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prim is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Prim a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Prim 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.