Prima
A feminine name of Italian origin meaning "first" or "foremost".
Name Census estimates that about 98 living Americans carry the first name Prima. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Prima today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prima births was 1975 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prima. 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 Prima. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
98
~ 1 in 3,497,493 Americans
Peak year
1975
14 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2024 SSA rank
#17,051
Tracked since 1949
Popularity
Prima: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Prima from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 55 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Prima 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 Prima 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 Prima
Prima is a female given name with Latin origins, dating back to ancient Roman times. The name derives from the Latin word "primus," meaning "first" or "chief." It was often used to denote the firstborn daughter in a family or to highlight a sense of prominence or distinction.
During the Roman era, Prima was a common name among the upper classes, reflecting the prestige associated with being the firstborn child. It was also used as a cognomen (a third or additional name) to indicate the order of birth among siblings with the same praenomen (first name) and nomen (family name).
In early Christian history, Prima was the name of several notable figures. One of the earliest recorded instances is Saint Prima, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century AD. She was executed for her Christian faith during the persecution under the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
Another significant bearer of the name was Prima Justina, a Roman empress who lived in the 4th century AD. She was the wife of the Roman Emperor Valentinian I and played a prominent role in the political and religious affairs of the time.
During the Middle Ages, the name Prima remained in use, particularly in Italy and other regions influenced by Latin culture. One notable bearer was Prima Porzia, an Italian noblewoman and poet who lived in the 15th century. She was renowned for her literary works and her patronage of the arts.
In the Renaissance period, the name Prima saw a resurgence in popularity. Prima Trüberin, born in 1516, was a German Protestant reformer and writer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement. She was known for her influential writings and her advocacy for women's education.
Another famous bearer of the name was Prima Donna, an Italian opera singer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. She was celebrated for her exceptional vocal talents and is credited with popularizing the term "prima donna," which originally referred to the leading female singer in an opera company.
As the centuries passed, the name Prima continued to be used, albeit less frequently. One notable modern example is Prima Shaan, an Indian classical dancer and choreographer born in 1948. She has made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Indian dance forms.
People
Prima + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prima 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
Prima: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prima?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 98 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prima 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 3,497,493 US residents.
Is Prima a common name?
We classify Prima as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 107 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Prima most popular?
The single biggest year for Prima was 1975, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prima is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Prima a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Prima 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.