Prinz
A German masculine name meaning "prince" or "ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Prinz. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Prinz today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prinz births was 2015 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prinz. 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 Prinz. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2015
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2015 SSA rank
#13,558
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Prinz: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Prinz 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 Prinz 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 Prinz
The name Prinz has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Prinz," which means "prince" or "son of a ruler." The name was initially used to refer to the male offspring of royalty or nobility.
In the early medieval period, the title "Prinz" was reserved for the sons of kings, emperors, and other sovereign rulers. As the concept of hereditary monarchies evolved, the term became more widely used to denote the heir apparent or potential successors to the throne.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Prinz can be found in the chronicles of the Holy Roman Empire, where it was used to refer to the sons of the imperial family. Prinz Friedrich III, born in 1415, was the son of Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich I and later became the King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor himself.
In the 16th century, the name gained popularity among the noble families of German-speaking regions. Prinz Moritz von Sachsen, born in 1521, was a prominent military commander and a member of the House of Wettin, which ruled over the Electorate of Saxony.
During the Renaissance, the name Prinz was also associated with the arts and culture. Prinz Christian IV of Denmark, born in 1577, was a patron of the arts and oversaw the construction of several notable buildings, including the Rosenborg Castle in Copenhagen.
In the 18th century, Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen, born in 1688, was a Prussian prince and a military leader who played a significant role in the War of the Austrian Succession. He was also an avid art collector and patron of the arts.
Another notable figure with the name Prinz was Prinz Eugen von Savoyen, born in 1663, a celebrated military commander who served under the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I. He is particularly renowned for his victories against the Ottoman Empire in the Great Turkish War.
Despite its historical association with royalty and nobility, the name Prinz has also been adopted by commoners in more recent times, albeit less frequently than in the past. It continues to hold a sense of distinction and prestige, reflecting its noble origins.
People
Prinz + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prinz 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
Prinz: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prinz?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prinz 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 Prinz a common name?
We classify Prinz 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 Prinz most popular?
The single biggest year for Prinz was 2015, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prinz is about 11 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 Prinz in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Prinz a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Prinz 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 Prinz still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Prinz 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 Prinz 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 are called Prinz?
You can see how many people share the name Prinz on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.