Pragya
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "wisdom, intelligence, or prudence".
Name Census estimates that about 231 living Americans carry the first name Pragya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pragya today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pragya births was 2018 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pragya. 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
231
~ 1 in 1,483,785 Americans
Peak year
2018
18 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,868
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Pragya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pragya from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 113 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Pragya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pragya 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 Pragya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Pragyas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pragya
The name Pragya is derived from the Sanskrit language and has its origins in ancient India. It is a feminine name that means "wisdom," "intelligence," or "consciousness." The name is closely related to the Sanskrit word "prajña," which is one of the perfections or paramitas in Buddhist philosophy, representing transcendent wisdom and insight.
In Hinduism, the concept of pragya is associated with the ability to discern the true nature of reality and attain spiritual enlightenment. The name is often found in Hindu scriptures and philosophical texts, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, where it is used to describe the highest state of consciousness and self-realization.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pragya can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. In this epic, Pragya is mentioned as the name of a wise and virtuous woman, known for her profound understanding of the spiritual realm.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Pragya. One of the most famous was Pragya Paramita, a Buddhist scholar and philosopher who lived in the 5th century AD. She is revered for her contributions to Buddhist thought and her teachings on the nature of wisdom and compassion.
Another historical figure with the name Pragya was Pragya Bhatt, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 17th century. She was widely celebrated for her mastery of the Sanskrit language and her poetic works, which explored themes of spirituality and philosophy.
In the 19th century, Pragya Devi was a prominent Indian educator and social reformer. She founded one of the first schools for girls in the region and worked tirelessly to promote women's education and empowerment.
More recently, Pragya Thakur is a controversial Indian politician and former member of parliament, whose involvement in a terrorism case has been widely debated.
Pragya Jaiswal is a contemporary Indian actress and model who has appeared in several Bollywood films and television shows.
Throughout its history, the name Pragya has remained closely associated with wisdom, intelligence, and spiritual enlightenment, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and philosophical traditions of ancient India.
People
Pragya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pragya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Pragya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pragya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 231 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pragya 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 1,483,785 US residents.
Is Pragya a common name?
We classify Pragya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 233 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pragya most popular?
The single biggest year for Pragya was 2018, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pragya is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pragya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pragya 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.
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.