Prosperity
A name signifying wealth, success, thriving, and abundant blessings.
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the first name Prosperity. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Prosperity today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Prosperity births was 2015 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Prosperity. 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
130
~ 1 in 2,636,572 Americans
Peak year
2015
12 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,058
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Prosperity: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Prosperity from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 53 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Prosperity remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Prosperity 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 Prosperity 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 Prosperity
The given name Prosperity is an English word that originated as a virtue name, meaning "successful, flourishing condition." It is derived from the Latin word "prosperitas," which itself comes from the root "prosperus," meaning "favorable" or "auspicious."
Prosperity as a given name became popular during the 17th and 18th centuries among English Puritans and Quakers, who often chose virtue names for their children, reflecting their religious beliefs and values. The name was meant to express the desire for a life of success, abundance, and well-being for the child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Prosperity appears in the parish records of St. Mary Matfelon, Whitechapel, London, in 1648, when a child named Prosperity Hobbs was christened.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Prosperity. One example is Prosperity Wright (1662-1721), an English merchant and diarist from Ipswich, who left behind a detailed account of his life and business dealings.
Another historical figure was Prosperity Robinson (1773-1827), an American Baptist minister and educator who served as the second president of Brown University from 1799 to 1824.
In the 19th century, Prosperity Mildred Green Candler (1851-1936) was an American activist and author, known for her work in women's suffrage and temperance movements.
Prosperity Hancock (1888-1966) was an American educator and civil rights activist from Georgia, who dedicated her life to improving educational opportunities for African Americans in the segregated South.
Prosperity Bamba (1925-2018) was a Kenyan politician and freedom fighter, who played a significant role in the struggle for independence from British colonial rule.
While the name Prosperity was once widely used, its popularity has diminished in more recent times, perhaps reflecting a shift in cultural values and naming trends. However, its historical roots and symbolic meaning continue to hold significance for those who appreciate its virtuous connotations.
People
Prosperity + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Prosperity 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
Prosperity: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Prosperity?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 130 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Prosperity 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 2,636,572 US residents.
Is Prosperity a common name?
We classify Prosperity as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 131 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Prosperity most popular?
The single biggest year for Prosperity was 2015, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Prosperity is about 13 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 Prosperity in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Prosperity a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Prosperity 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.
Is Prosperity still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Prosperity 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 Prosperity 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 have Prosperity as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Prosperity on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.