NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Prince

A masculine given name meaning "ruler" or "leader".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Prince is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Prince popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #545, with 70 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2017, with 96 births.

This profile covers 1,782 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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.

The latest count is about 73% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 1,791 living people in the UK are called Prince. 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 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Prince ranked #545 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 70 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2017, when 96 boys were registered as Prince.
  • Prince ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #619 in 2024.
  • About 1,791 living people in the UK are estimated to have Prince as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#545

2024

Births in 2024

70

Latest year

Peak year

2017

96 births

Estimated living

1,791

2026

Meaning

What does Prince mean?

The name Prince has its origins in the Latin word "princeps" which means "first" or "chief". It was originally a title denoting rank or authority and was later adopted as a personal name.

The earliest recorded use of Prince as a first name dates back to the 3rd century AD, when it appeared in Roman historical records. It was a popular name among the Roman nobility and was often given to the sons of emperors or high-ranking officials.

In the Middle Ages, Prince became a popular name in Western Europe, particularly in England and France. During this period, it was often associated with royalty and was used by members of the aristocracy.

One of the most famous historical figures with the name Prince is Prince Henry the Navigator, a 15th-century Portuguese prince who was instrumental in the early stages of European exploration and the Age of Discovery. He was born in 1394 and died in 1460.

Another notable Prince from history is Prince Rupert of the Rhine, a 17th-century German-born military leader who played a significant role in the English Civil War. He was born in 1619 and died in 1682.

In the 18th century, Prince was a popular name among African Americans, particularly those who were born into slavery. One such notable figure was Prince Whipple, a free African American who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born around 1750 and died in 1796.

In the 19th century, Prince was a popular name among European royalty. One famous example is Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. He was born in 1819 and died in 1861.

In the 20th century, the name Prince gained popularity in the United States, particularly among African Americans. One of the most famous individuals with this name is Prince Rogers Nelson, the legendary American musician who was simply known as Prince. He was born in 1958 and died in 2016.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Prince over time

The chart below shows babies named Prince registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Prince, the clearest high point is 2017. The latest England and Wales figure is 70 births in 2024, compared with 96 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Prince
024487296199620102024

Decades

Prince by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Prince 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 #569 330 5
2010s #477 827 10
2000s #559 534 10
1990s #723 91 4

Geography

Where Prince is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Prince. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Prince ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #619 in 2024.

Scotland
4

Across the UK

Prince in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#619 in 2024

6 years of NRS records, 21 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Prince

  • Prince Ibeh

    basketball player

    American basketball player

    1994-

  • Prince Rodney

    boxer

    British boxer

    1958-

  • Prince Hoare (elder)

    sculptor

    British sculptor

    1711-1769

  • Prince Zylinski

    politician

    British politician

Related

Names similar to Prince

FAQ

Prince: questions and answers

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

In 2024, Prince was ranked #545 for boys in England and Wales, with 70 births registered.

When was Prince most popular?

The peak year on record was 2017, with 96 babies registered as Prince in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Prince?

A masculine given name meaning "ruler" or "leader".

How many people are called Prince in the UK?

A total of 1,782 babies have been registered as Prince across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 21 more in Scotland.

Where is Prince most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Prince ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #619 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

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.