Princeton
A given name derived from the English place name meaning "prince's town."
Name Census estimates that about 9,721 living Americans carry the first name Princeton. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Princeton today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Princeton births was 2017 (793 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Princeton. 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 Princeton with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Princeton is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
9.7K
~ 1 in 35,259 Americans
Peak year
2017
793 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#614
Tracked since 1950
Census
Princeton in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,261 people with the first name Princeton, which placed it at #3,773 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,773
National first-name rank
People counted
5.3K
5,261 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
67.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Princeton
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Princeton is Black at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Hispanic (7.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Princeton described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Princeton at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American67.6% · 3,554
- Two or more races10.4% · 547
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 404
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.1% · 371
- White6.6% · 349
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 36
Popularity
Princeton: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Princeton from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5,461 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Princeton remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Princeton 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 Princeton during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Princetons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 37 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, California recorded the most babies named Princeton, while Nebraska, Utah, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 224 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Princeton
The given name Princeton has its origins in the English language and can be traced back to the late 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the combination of two Old English words, "prince" and "ton," which together translate to "prince's town" or "chief's settlement." This connection suggests that the name was initially associated with a place of importance or a settlement governed by a prince or ruler.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Princeton dates back to 1756 when it was given to a town in New Jersey, United States. The town was named after Prince William III of Orange, who was a prominent figure in the late 17th century and played a significant role in the history of the Netherlands and England. This association with royalty further reinforces the name's ties to nobility and leadership.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Princeton. One of the most famous was Princeton Tener (1865-1935), an American baseball player who played for the Chicago White Stockings (now the Chicago Cubs) in the late 19th century. He was a talented pitcher and later became a successful coach and manager.
Another prominent figure was Princeton Hightower (1900-1981), an American civil rights activist and educator. He dedicated his life to fighting for racial equality and improving educational opportunities for African Americans in the segregated South during the mid-20th century.
In the field of literature, Princeton Williamson (1920-2003) was an American author and poet known for his works exploring themes of African American culture and identity. His most notable work, "The Homecoming," published in 1968, received critical acclaim and is considered a significant contribution to the Harlem Renaissance literary movement.
The name Princeton also holds historical significance in the realm of academia. Princeton University, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in the United States, was founded in 1746 and named after the aforementioned town of Princeton, New Jersey. The university has produced numerous notable alumni, including several presidents, Nobel laureates, and influential scholars.
Finally, Princeton Lyman (born 1944) is a former United States diplomat and ambassador who served in various roles during the latter half of the 20th century. He played a crucial role in shaping American foreign policy, particularly in regards to Africa and the Middle East.
While the name Princeton may not be as common as other given names, its rich history and connections to notable individuals, places, and institutions have solidified its place in the annals of cultural and historical significance.
People
Princeton + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Princeton 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
Princeton: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Princeton?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,721 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Princeton 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 35,259 US residents.
Is Princeton a common name?
We classify Princeton as "Rare". It ranks above 97.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,828 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Princeton most popular?
The single biggest year for Princeton was 2017, when 793 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Princeton is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Princeton in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 5,261 people with the name Princeton, or 1.74 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,773 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Princeton in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Princeton?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Princeton appears almost entirely male. Of the 5,250 people counted with this name, 99.2% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Princeton?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Princeton is Black at 67.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Hispanic (7.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Princeton most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Princeton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.6% (3,554 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Princeton in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Princeton a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Princeton 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 Princeton still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Princeton 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 Princeton 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.
How many people share the name Princeton?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.