Head to head · Boys' names
Prince vs Yusuf
#447 vs #449 in 2025
Prince is a whisker ahead (#447 vs #449 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Prince is stepping back from its peak, Yusuf is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Yusuf has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Prince leads 5 measures of 6; Yusuf leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Prince #422, Yusuf — — Prince higher
- 1890s: Prince #465, Yusuf — — Prince higher
- 1900s: Prince #461, Yusuf — — Prince higher
- 1910s: Prince #605, Yusuf — — Prince higher
- 1920s: Prince #748, Yusuf — — Prince higher
- 1930s: Prince #828, Yusuf — — Prince higher
- 1940s: Prince #859, Yusuf #3690 — Prince higher
- 1950s: Prince #900, Yusuf — — Prince higher
- 1960s: Prince #1026, Yusuf #3387 — Prince higher
- 1970s: Prince #1104, Yusuf #1480 — Prince higher
- 1980s: Prince #738, Yusuf #1519 — Prince higher
- 1990s: Prince #1007, Yusuf #1413 — Prince higher
- 2000s: Prince #832, Yusuf #931 — Prince higher
- 2010s: Prince #400, Yusuf #610 — Prince higher
- 2020s: Prince #368, Yusuf #519 — Prince higher
Prince stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Prince | Yusuf |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #422 | — |
| 1890s | #465 | — |
| 1900s | #461 | — |
| 1910s | #605 | — |
| 1920s | #748 | — |
| 1930s | #828 | — |
| 1940s | #859 | #3690 |
| 1950s | #900 | — |
| 1960s | #1026 | #3387 |
| 1970s | #1104 | #1480 |
| 1980s | #738 | #1519 |
| 1990s | #1007 | #1413 |
| 2000s | #832 | #931 |
| 2010s | #400 | #610 |
| 2020s | #368 | #519 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
Around the world
Prince
Not charting outside the US.
Yusuf
- England & Wales#67
National statistics offices, latest published year.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Prince
prince, a ruler's son or a ruler
From the English word prince, from Latin princeps, the first one, a title Augustus took for himself as first citizen.
princeps → prince → Prince
How it traveled
Prince was one of the grand names that enslavers often gave to enslaved men, and many who carried it made it their own. Prince Estabrook, still enslaved, stood with the minutemen on Lexington Green and was wounded in the first fight of the Revolution; he later served through the war and gained his freedom.
Yusuf
God will add, or he shall add
From Hebrew Yosef, tied in Genesis to Rachel's wish for another son. The Arabic Yusuf carries the same sense through.
Yosef → Iōsēph → Yusuf
How it traveled
The name begins as Hebrew Yosef, borne by the son of Jacob whose story of the coat, the pit and the Egyptian court runs through the book of Genesis. Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible wrote it Iōsēph, which became Latin Ioseph and English Joseph; Arabic kept closer to the original consonants and produced Yusuf.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Prince
PRINS
One syllable.
Yusuf
YOO-suf
Arabic and Turkish speakers often put more weight on the second syllable, closer to yoo-SOOF, and lengthen it. Both are correct; families usually pick one and stay with it.
- Yus — The most common informal clip among English-speaking friends and siblings.
- Yusi — An affectionate family form, used mostly with young children.
- Joe — Used by some bearers as an English-facing equivalent through Joseph; others prefer the full name and say so.
- Yuşa — Turkish-language pet form, heard in Turkish-speaking families rather than in general American use.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Prince if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsPrince is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesPrince is 1 syllable to Yusuf's 3
- a name that stays wholeno recorded short form for Prince
- a long American recordPrince was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Yusuf if you want…
- a name on the way upup 123 places on the charts in five years
- a name with more sound in itYusuf runs 3 syllables, Prince 1
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Yus, Yusi and Joe
- a name that charts abroad tooYusuf is on the national lists of England & Wales
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Prince
Strengths
- It is short, strong and instantly understood.
- It has a long American history.
To consider
- It is a title as well as a name, and some will joke about royalty.
- Many will think first of the musician.
Yusuf
Strengths
- Recognized on sight across the Arabic-speaking world, Turkey, the Balkans, South Asia, East Africa and Southeast Asia — one of the most widely traveled names there is.
- Yusuf is the standard transliteration and the one most English speakers have encountered, so it is easier to hold than Youssef or Yousuf.
- Two syllables, no silent letters, no consonant clusters — it survives being said quickly by a substitute teacher.
To consider
- The spellings Youssef, Yousef, Yusef and Yousuf all belong to the same name, and people who know one will default to it. Expect a lifetime of spelling it out, in a friendly way, at the pharmacy counter.
- Stress is the real variable, not the letters: relatives may say yoo-SOOF while classmates say YOO-suf. Worth deciding early which one you correct people toward.
- Some acquaintances will reach for Joe as a shortcut. That suits some families and not others, and it is easier to head off than to undo.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Prince and Yusuf in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Prince and Yusuf?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Pop star names on birth certificates
- Royal title names: King, Reign, Royal
- Names ending in -ce
- British invasion: UK favorites still rare in the US
- all guides
Where Prince and Yusuf each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Prince or Yusuf — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Prince or Yusuf?
- Prince, in 2025: Prince ranked #447 with 703 babies; Yusuf ranked #449 with 698 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Prince or Yusuf?
- Yusuf. Over the last five years Prince moved down 132 places; Yusuf moved up 123 places.
- Which is the older name, Prince or Yusuf?
- Prince was already in use when US records began in 1880; Yusuf entered the US charts in 1949. On the American record, Prince is the older name.
- How many people are named Prince and Yusuf?
- About 20,000 people named Prince are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 11,500 people named Yusuf are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Princes or Yusufs in the classroom?
- Prince will almost certainly be the only one in school. Yusuf will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025; international figures from national statistics agencies. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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