The first name Primrose
A girl’s name meaning “wood”, “tree”, “moor”.
2 syllables Female Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Primrose means “wood”, “tree”, “moor”.
The surname derives from a place name in Fife, Scotland; Watson (1926) derived this from Pictish/Proto-Brythonic *prenn (“wood, tree”) + *rros (“moor, heath”). Taylor instead argued for Scottish Gaelic prím (“first”) + ros (“promontory”). Changed by folk etymology because of phonetic resemblance to primrose. The given name is one of the 19th-century flower names.
More names that mean forest.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 259 girls were named Primrose, making it the 196th most popular girls’ name. It peaked in 2020, with 320 births (#157).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Primrose with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Primrose at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 69 girls born in the United States were named Primrose, the 2,561st most popular girls’ name that year. It was used most in 2021, when 93 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Questions
- What does the name Primrose mean?
- Primrose means “wood”, “tree”, “moor”.
- How popular is the name Primrose?
- In 2025, 259 girls born in England and Wales were named Primrose, ranking 196th. Its peak was 2020, with 320 births.
- Is Primrose a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a girl's name: 100% of the 1,033 US babies named Primrose since 1880 were girls.
- When was Primrose most popular?
- 2021 in the United States, when 93 babies were named Primrose, its highest rank at 2,068th.
- Is Primrose also a surname?
- Yes. Primrose is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.