NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Primo

Of Italian origin, meaning "first" or "firstborn".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2022. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Primo is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Primo popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2022 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4001, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2022, with 4 births.

This profile covers 4 England and Wales registrations across 1 recorded years from 2022 to 2022. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

Primo is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.

We estimate that about 4 living people in the UK are called Primo. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2023 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Primo ranked #4001 for boys in England and Wales in 2022, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2022, when 4 boys were registered as Primo.
  • About 4 living people in the UK are estimated to have Primo as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#4001

2022

Births in 2022

4

Latest year

Peak year

2022

4 births

Estimated living

4

2026

Meaning

What does Primo mean?

The name Primo has its origins in the Italian language. It is derived from the Latin word "primus," meaning "first" or "foremost." The name gained popularity during the Roman era, when it was often used to denote the firstborn son or the eldest child in a family.

In ancient Roman times, the name Primo was associated with concepts of primacy, importance, and superiority. It carried a sense of prestige and distinction. During the Imperial period, several notable Romans bore the name, including Primo Marcellus, a Roman senator and historian who lived in the 1st century AD.

As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the name Primo gained additional significance. It was sometimes bestowed upon children born on the first day of the year or during important religious festivals, symbolizing a fresh start or a new beginning.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Primo can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Livy, who mentioned a military commander named Primo Sulpicius in his work "Ab Urbe Condita" (History of Rome), written in the late 1st century BC.

Throughout history, several prominent figures have borne the name Primo. In the 13th century, Primo Cavalcanti was an Italian philosopher and poet from the city of Florence. He was a close friend of the renowned writer Dante Alighieri and is mentioned in Dante's literary masterpiece, "The Divine Comedy."

During the Renaissance period, Primo Levi was an Italian humanist, scholar, and writer who lived from 1460 to 1528. He is known for his works on philosophy, literature, and Jewish history, and was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time.

In the 19th century, Primo Levi, an Italian chemist and writer, was born in 1919. He survived the Holocaust and gained international recognition for his memoir "If This Is a Man," which detailed his experiences in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II.

Another notable figure with the name Primo was Primo Conti, an Italian film director and screenwriter born in 1900. He directed several critically acclaimed films during the Golden Age of Italian cinema, including "Piccolo Mondo Antico" (The Little Old World) and "Eugenia Grandet."

While the name Primo has its roots in Italian culture and language, it has been adopted and used in various other cultures and countries over the centuries, further adding to its rich history and diversity.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Decades

Primo by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Primo was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #4001 4 1

Related

Names similar to Primo

FAQ

Primo: questions and answers

How popular is the name Primo in the UK right now?

In 2022, Primo was ranked #4001 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Primo most popular?

The peak year on record was 2022, with 4 babies registered as Primo in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Primo?

Of Italian origin, meaning "first" or "firstborn".

How many people are called Primo in the UK?

A total of 4 babies have been registered as Primo across the 1 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.