Pruitt
A masculine given name derived from the French word "prud'homme", meaning "wise or prudent man".
Name Census estimates that about 154 living Americans carry the first name Pruitt. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 71.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Pruitt today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pruitt births was 2024 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pruitt. 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
154
~ 1 in 2,225,678 Americans
Peak year
2024
32 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,088
Tracked since 1919
Gender
Gender distribution for Pruitt
Pruitt is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 182 total registrations, 130 (71.4%) were male and 52 (28.6%) were female.
Pruitt as a male name
- Ranked #7,129 in 2024
- 12 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (14 births)
Pruitt as a female name
- Ranked #6,088 in 2024
- 20 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (20 births)
Popularity
Pruitt: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pruitt from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 107 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pruitt 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 Pruitt 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 Pruitt
The given name Pruitt has its roots in the Old French language, originating in the medieval period. It is derived from the word "pruet," which means "prudent" or "wise." This name was likely bestowed upon individuals who were perceived as possessing these qualities.
In the early 13th century, the name Pruitt appeared in various forms, such as Pruet, Pruwet, and Pruyot, in historical records and documents across parts of northern France and the Normandy region. These early spellings reflected the linguistic evolution of the name over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pruitt can be found in the Annals of Rouen, a historical chronicle from the 13th century. The text mentions a certain "Pruwet le Sage," which translates to "Pruwet the Wise," further reinforcing the name's association with wisdom and prudence.
Throughout the medieval era, the name Pruitt gained popularity among the French nobility and upper classes, who valued the traits of wisdom and discretion. Several notable figures bearing this name emerged during this period, including Pruitt de Montfort (1235-1298), a renowned military commander who fought in the Eighth Crusade.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various linguistic adaptations and spellings. In England, for instance, the name took on the form of "Pruett," as evidenced by the records of Sir Pruett Knowles (1450-1521), a prominent knight and landowner in Gloucestershire.
During the Renaissance period, the name Pruitt continued to be used, albeit less frequently. One notable bearer was Pruitt Delacroix (1592-1669), a French philosopher and theologian who authored several influential works on ethics and morality.
In the 17th century, the name Pruitt made its way to the New World with French settlers and immigrants. Records show a Pruitt Lafleur (1625-1701) among the early settlers of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia, Canada), where he became a respected member of the local community.
As the centuries passed, the name Pruitt remained relatively uncommon but retained its association with wisdom and prudence. In the 19th century, Pruitt Emerson (1820-1892), an American essayist and philosopher, became a notable figure who embodied these traits through his influential writings on self-reliance and individualism.
People
Pruitt + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pruitt 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
Pruitt: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pruitt?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 154 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pruitt 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 2,225,678 US residents.
Is Pruitt a common name?
We classify Pruitt as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 182 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pruitt most popular?
The single biggest year for Pruitt was 2024, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pruitt is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pruitt a male name?
Yes, 71.4% of people registered as Pruitt 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.
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.