Nupur
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "a jewel or flower bud".
Name Census estimates that about 107 living Americans carry the first name Nupur. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nupur today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nupur births was 2001 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nupur. 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.
People living today
107
~ 1 in 3,203,312 Americans
Peak year
2001
10 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2009 SSA rank
#19,432
Tracked since 1984
Census
Nupur in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 801 people with the first name Nupur, which placed it at #14,645 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,645
National first-name rank
People counted
801
801 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
96.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nupur
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nupur is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Black (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Nupur described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Nupur at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.9% · 776
- White1.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 4
- Two or more races0.5% · 4
Popularity
Nupur: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nupur from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 51 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nupur 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 Nupur 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 Nupur
The name Nupur is derived from the Sanskrit word 'नूपुर' which means anklets or ornaments worn around the ankles. The name has its roots in ancient Indian culture and tradition, particularly in Hinduism.
In Hindu mythology, anklets were considered auspicious and were traditionally worn by women during special occasions like weddings and religious ceremonies. The tinkling sound of the anklets was believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.
One of the earliest references to the name Nupur can be found in the ancient Hindu text, the Mahabharata. In the epic, Nupur is mentioned as the name of a celestial dancer who entertained the gods with her graceful movements and the melodious sound of her anklets.
The name Nupur was also associated with the goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva. In some Hindu scriptures, Parvati is described as adorning beautiful anklets that added to her divine beauty and grace.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Nupur. One of the earliest recorded examples is Nupur Nagar, a renowned classical dancer from India who lived during the 16th century. She was known for her mastery of the Kathak dance form and her performances at the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1542-1605).
Another famous Nupur was Nupur Talwar, an Indian author and journalist who lived in the 20th century (1935-2011). She was known for her critically acclaimed novels and her work as a columnist for various Indian newspapers and magazines.
In the field of music, Nupur Mahajan (born 1974) is a celebrated Indian singer and composer who has contributed to numerous Bollywood films and albums. Her soulful voice and versatility have earned her widespread recognition and several prestigious awards.
Nupur Lala (born 1973) is an Indian businesswoman and entrepreneur who co-founded the successful online travel company, Goibibo. Her entrepreneurial spirit and leadership have been widely acknowledged, and she has received several accolades for her contributions to the tech industry.
Lastly, Nupur Sharma (born 1985) is a prominent Indian politician and former spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). She has been actively involved in political campaigns and has served as a member of the BJP's national executive committee.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Nupur throughout history, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and the diverse fields in which it has made its mark.
People
Nupur + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nupur as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nupur: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nupur?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 107 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nupur 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 3,203,312 US residents.
Is Nupur a common name?
We classify Nupur as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 110 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nupur most popular?
The single biggest year for Nupur was 2001, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nupur is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nupur in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 801 people with the name Nupur, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,645 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Nupur in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Nupur?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nupur leans strongly female. 785 people counted with this name were female (97.3%), compared with 22 male bearers (2.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Nupur?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nupur is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.9%. The next largest groups are White (1.6%) and Black (0.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Nupur most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nupur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.9% (776 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Nupur in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nupur a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nupur 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 Nupur still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nupur 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 Nupur 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.
How many people have Nupur as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.