Prudence is a feminine given name. The name is a

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

form of the Latin ''Prudentia'', meaning prudence, i.e. good judgment. The usual

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A ( abbreviated ) is a word-form ...

or short form is Pru or Prue. These may also be short for the unrelated name Prunella, which means plum.

People with this name

Prudence Farrow Prudence Anne Villiers Farrow Bruns (born January 20, 1948) is an American author, meditation teacher, and film producer. She is the daughter of film director John Farrow and actress Maureen O'Sullivan and younger sister of actress Mia Farrow. Fa ...

, was

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

's inspiration for the Beatles' song ''

Dear Prudence "Dear Prudence" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album ''The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). The song was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. Written in ...

'' *

Pru Goward Prudence Jane "Pru" Goward (born 2 September 1952) is a former Australian politician and was a Liberal member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 2007 to 2019, representing the seat of Goulburn. She was the New South Wales Mini ...

, member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly *

Prue Leith Dame Prudence Margaret Leith, (born 18 February 1940) is a South African restaurateur, chef, caterer, television presenter/broadcaster, journalist, cookery writer and novelist. She is Chancellor of Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. She wa ...

, British television cook * Prudence Liew, Hong Kong-based cantopop singer and actress * Prudence Millinery, London based, milliner and hat designer * Prudence McIntyre, the younger sister of the sister duo Patience & Prudence *

Prudence Neff Prudence Maria Neff (June 9, 1887 – December 23, 1949) was an American pianist and music teacher, based in Alabama as a young woman, and in Chicago for the rest of her career. Early life Prudence Neff was born in Nebraska City, Nebraska, an ...

, American pianist and music teacher *

Prue Sibree Prudence Anne Leggoe (née Turnor; formerly Sibree; born 7 August 1946) is former Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly. Sibree was educated at (Chalgrove Girls Grammar School, run by Georgina Prior, 1100 Whitehorse Road, ...

, former member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly

Fictional characters

*Prudence Brown, a first form girl and the main antagonist of the book Summer Term at St. Clare's by Enid Blyton. *Prudence Palfrey, from the 1874 novel of the same name by

Thomas Bailey Aldrich Thomas Bailey Aldrich (; November 11, 1836 – March 19, 1907) was an American writer, poet, critic, and editor. He is notable for his long editorship of ''The Atlantic Monthly'', during which he published writers including Charles W. Chesnutt. ...

. *Prudence Courteney, the charming and unfortunate heroine of Evelyn Waugh's 1931 novel ''

Black Mischief ''Black Mischief'' was Evelyn Waugh's third novel, published in 1932. The novel chronicles the efforts of the British-educated Emperor Seth, assisted by a fellow Oxford graduate, Basil Seal, to modernize his Empire, the fictional African island o ...

''. *Prudence, a character from the 2007 film ''

Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album '' No One's Gonna Change Our ...

'' *Prudence, English dub name for Ryusuke Minami's first guitar in the anime adaptation of ''

BECK Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...

'' *Prudence, voiced by Holland Taylor, a Disney character who appears in '' Cinderella II'', '' Cinderella III: A Twist in Time'', and ''Twice Charmed'', as well as other Disney continuations of the ''Cinderella'' story. She is the majordomo of Cinderella's castle, as well as the love interest of the Grand Duke *Prudence, a bullying toddler in the ''Rugrats'' episode " Showdown At Teeter-Totter Gulch" *Prudence Bates, a 29-year-old spinster who works for a "vague cultural organisation" and keeps in touch with her best friend from Oxford, vicar's wife Jane Cleveland: together the heroines of Barbara Pym's eponymous 1953 novel '' Jane and Prudence'' *Prudence Bell, the female lead in ''

Rome Adventure ''Rome Adventure'', also known as ''Lovers Must Learn'', is a 1962 romantic drama film, based on the 1932 novel ''Lovers Must Learn'' by Irving Fineman. It was directed by Delmer Daves and stars Troy Donahue, Angie Dickinson, and Suzanne Pleshe ...

'', a 1960s love story with Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette *Prudence Blackwood, portrayed by Tati Gabrielle on the TV series ''

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ''Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'' is an American comic book series published by Archie Horror, an imprint of Archie Comics, beginning in 2014. The series is a darker take on the characters and setting of ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch''. It is wri ...

'' *Prudence Duncan, the middle sister in the ''Matchmaker'' triad of books by Jane Feather *Prudence Everett (played by Kim Richards), the youngest daughter of Prof. Harold Everett in the 1970-71 American TV program ''

Nanny and the Professor ''Nanny and the Professor'' is an early 1970s American sitcom created by AJ Carothers and Thomas L. Miller for 20th Century-Fox Television that aired on ABC from January 21, 1970 until December 27, 1971. During pre-production, the proposed ti ...

'' *

Prue Halliwell Prudence Halliwell is a fictional character from the American television series '' Charmed'', played by Shannen Doherty from October 7, 1998, until May 17, 2001. The character was created by Constance M. Burge, who based Prue on her older siste ...

, portrayed by Shannen Doherty, one of the lead characters on the TV show ''Charmed'' until her death at the end of the third season *

Prudence Harbinger Prudence at Number 10 is a fictional diary purporting to be the private thoughts of Prudence Harbinger, former (United Kingdom) Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Director of Media Liaison, but actually written for publication in British newspaper ''T ...

, a fictional character created by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. She is the new UK Prime Minister's Director of Media Liaison. Her diary has been serialised in the ''Sunday Telegraph'', the first episode appearing on 10 May 2007 * Prudence King, main character of '' Love Lessons'', a novel by Children's Laureate, Jacqueline Wilson * Prudence McLeod, the mother of the main character Claire McLeod on the TV show ''

McLeod's Daughters ''McLeod's Daughters'' is an Australian drama television series created by Posie Graeme-Evans and Caroline Stanton for the Nine Network, which aired from 8 August 2001, to 31 January 2009, lasting List of McLeod's Daughters episodes, eight seas ...

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