Fun Facts About the Name Prem
- 547 babies named Prem: U.S. records list 547 babies given the name Prem from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Prem Mean?
Prem is a given name used in South Asia, taken directly from the Hindi and Sanskrit word prem (प्रेम), which means "love" or "affection." The Hindi word goes back to Sanskrit preman, a noun whose nominative singular form is prema - the same pattern that turns the stem karman into karma.
Dictionaries generally connect prema with the Sanskrit root prī- (प्री-), "to please, to take delight in, to love," which also lies behind priya ("dear, beloved") and prīti ("pleasure, love"). This is the usual explanation of the word's origin rather than a certainty; the exact derivational path is not fully settled.
In Sanskrit and in the devotional poetry of medieval North India, prema is often used specifically for the intense love between a devotee and God. That is a religious application of the ordinary word for love, not a second, separate meaning; in modern Hindi the everyday sense of love or affection continues alongside it.
Prem Name History & Origins
Sanskrit prema is the ordinary word for love in texts ranging from classical poetry to the devotional verse of medieval North India, and the modern Hindi, Punjabi, and Nepali names come from that vocabulary. Names formed directly from Sanskrit words were long established in the region, and Prem is one of them, used on its own and as the first element in compounds such as Premchand (with chand, "moon"), Premkumar, Premnath, and Premlata.
Written प्रेम in Devanagari and ਪ੍ਰੇਮ in Gurmukhi, the name is given chiefly to boys and is common among Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains in northern India and Nepal. In Sikh scripture, prem is a recurring word for the love of God, and the name fits the wider Punjabi practice of drawing personal names from religious vocabulary. It is also occasionally given to girls; the Indian aviator Prem Mathur is one example.
Well-known bearers include the Hindi and Urdu novelist and short-story writer Premchand, the pen name of Dhanpat Rai Srivastava (1880 - 1936), and the Indian actor Prem Chopra.
How Popular is the Name Prem?
Prem has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2000. Its best rank was #3,257 in 1999.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,091 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #6,376 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2023 | #8,754 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #6,073 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #11,783 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #10,327 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2019 | #5,731 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2018 | #4,876 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #8,651 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #6,628 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #5,461 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2014 | #6,223 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #5,851 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2012 | #4,814 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2011 | #5,877 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #9,457 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #5,057 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #5,990 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #5,378 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 2006 | #4,642 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2005 | #4,424 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2004 | #4,554 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #4,759 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2002 | #4,452 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 2001 | #5,596 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2000 | #3,273 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 1999 | #3,257 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1998 | #4,150 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1997 | #5,191 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #4,552 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #4,722 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1994 | #7,551 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #7,080 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #8,203 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #7,539 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #5,596 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #5,433 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #5,465 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #7,020 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #4,077 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #4,479 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #6,257 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Prem Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Prem's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Prem's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.