Prosper, Prospera

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: “prosper.”

The name Prosper comes from the Latin Prosperus, meaning “fortunate,” “successful,” or “prosperous.” It is derived from the Latin verb prōspere, “to cause to thrive, to be favorable,” ultimately from pro- (“forward”) and spēs (“hope”).

Saint Prosper of Aquitaine (c. 390–455) was a Christian writer and theologian who defended the doctrines of Saint Augustine. His influence made Prosper a well-established saint’s name in medieval France, especially in Aquitaine and Provence.

In France, the name was relatively common at the turn of the 20th-century, ranking in at #96 in 1902. In the USA, it never ranked as high but did make it to the Top 1000, peaking at # 886 in 1881.

Several other early Christian saints and bishops also bore the name.

The most famous literary bearer is Prospero, the magician-duke in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest (1611).

The Puritans occasionally used Prosper as well.

The designated name-days include: June 25th (Denmark & France), September 2nd (Croatia), June 23rd (Poland).

International Variations

• Prósperu (Asturian)
• Pròsper (Catalan)
• Prosper (Croatian, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Polish, Scandinavian)
• Prospert (French, rare)
• Prospero (Italian)
• Prosperino (Italian)
• Prosperus (Latin)
• Próspero (Portuguese, Spanish)

Female Forms

• Prospera (Italian)
• Prosperina (Italian)
• Prospère (French)
• Prospérine (French)
• Próspera (Portuguese, Spanish)

Diminutives

• Prop (English)
• Sperry (English)
• Rino (Italian)

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/prosper
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosper_(pr%C3%A9nom)
• https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosper_(Vorname)
• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosper_(imi%C4%99)
• https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospero_(nome)
• S.L. Uckelman. “Prospero”. In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Prospero.