Diminutive of Prudence, from Latin 'prudentia' meaning 'wisdom, foresight, good judgment.'
Prue began as a familiar diminutive of Prudence, the English virtue name derived from Latin prudentia, which described the practical wisdom and foresight that classical philosophers considered foundational to moral life. Prudence entered the English naming lexicon during the Puritan era of the 16th and 17th centuries, when abstract virtues — Patience, Temperance, Constance, Faith — became fashionable given names reflecting the values parents wished to cultivate in their children. Prue emerged naturally from Prudence the way Bess emerged from Elizabeth.
In literary history, the name carries a light comic charge. Shakespeare's comedies and later Restoration drama sometimes used Prue and Prudence for quick-witted, often irreverent young women whose actions cheerfully contradicted their staid name — a wink from the playwright to the audience. The tradition continues in popular culture: the eldest Halliwell sister in the television series Charmed bore the name Prue, bringing it to a new generation with connotations of power and protectiveness rather than mere caution.
Today Prue is having a quiet revival, particularly in Britain and Australia, where short, strong, single-syllable female names are fashionable. It benefits from the broader trend of recovering Victorian-era nicknames as standalone names — alongside Nell, Bea, and Winnie — while retaining an air of brisk competence. In Australia it gained warm visibility through Prue MacSween, a prominent media commentator. The name strikes a contemporary ear as both old-fashioned and sharply modern, a combination that ages exceptionally well.