Luva
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly related to Portuguese "lua" meaning "moon".
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Luva. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Luva today is around 80 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Luva births was 1919 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Luva. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Luva is about 80 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Luvas were born before 1956.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Luva. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1919
11 babies that year
Average age
80
years old
1927 SSA rank
#5,291
Tracked since 1893
Popularity
Luva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Luva from the 1890s through to the 1920s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 30 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Luva remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Luva by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Luva during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Luva
The name Luva is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was the predominant language of ancient India and the liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The name is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "lubh," which means "to desire" or "to covet." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals with a strong desire or ambition.
In ancient Hindu texts, particularly the Vedas and the Upanishads, there are references to individuals with names similar to Luva, such as Lubha and Luvaka. However, it is unclear if these names are directly related to the modern name Luva or if they are merely coincidental similarities.
The earliest recorded use of the name Luva can be traced back to the 12th century CE in various Sanskrit texts and inscriptions found in the Indian subcontinent. During this period, the name was primarily used by members of the Brahmin caste and other upper-class families.
One notable historical figure with the name Luva was Luva Narasimha Raya, who lived from 1484 to 1505 CE. He was a powerful ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire, which was a dominant force in southern India during the 14th and 16th centuries. Luva Narasimha Raya was known for his patronage of arts, literature, and architecture, and his reign saw the construction of several grand temples and monuments.
Another individual of historical significance with the name Luva was Luva Bhatta, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and philosopher who lived in the 8th century CE. He is best known for his work on the Mimamsa school of Hindu philosophy and his commentaries on various Sanskrit texts.
In the realm of literature, Luva Kavi was a celebrated poet who lived in the 17th century CE in the Vijayanagara Empire. He is renowned for his epic poetic work, "Raghavapandaviya," which narrates the stories of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
In more recent times, Luva Mehta was an Indian film director and screenwriter who made significant contributions to parallel cinema in India. He was born in 1923 and directed several critically acclaimed films, such as "Bhavni Bhavai" and "Mirch Masala."
Luva Chatterjee, born in 1964, is a contemporary Indian writer and journalist who has authored several novels and short story collections, including "Palabra" and "Escape Routes." Her works often explore themes of identity, displacement, and cultural clashes.
People
Luva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Luva as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Luva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Luva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Luva going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Luva a common name?
We classify Luva as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 64 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Luva most popular?
The single biggest year for Luva was 1919, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Luva is about 80 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Luva in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Luva a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Luva in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Luva still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Luva in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Luva can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Luva?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.