Preethi
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning beloved, love, or affection.
Name Census estimates that about 183 living Americans carry the first name Preethi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Preethi today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Preethi births was 2002 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Preethi. 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
183
~ 1 in 1,872,975 Americans
Peak year
2002
20 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2009 SSA rank
#13,395
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Preethi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Preethi from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 103 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
Preethi 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 Preethi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Preethis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Preethi
The name Preethi is of Indian origin, derived from the Sanskrit word "pritha" which means "beloved" or "dear." It is a feminine name primarily used in South Indian states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala.
The name has its roots in ancient Hindu mythology and literature. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the epic Mahabharata, where it is mentioned as the name of a princess, Pritha, who was also known as Kunti, the mother of the Pandava brothers.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Preethi dates back to the 7th century CE, when it was borne by a Pallava princess named Preethi Devi. She was the daughter of King Narasimhavarman I and is mentioned in several inscriptions and temple records of that period.
Throughout history, the name Preethi has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 12th century, Preethi was the name of a renowned Kannada poet and scholar who authored several works on grammar and literature. Another Preethi, born in the 16th century, was a celebrated Bharatanatyam dancer and courtesan in the court of the Vijayanagar Empire.
In more recent times, Preethi Saran (1934-2017) was an acclaimed Indian classical dancer and choreographer, known for her contributions to the revival and promotion of Odissi dance. Preethi Narayanan (born 1979) is a successful Indian film actress and producer who has worked in various languages including Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu.
Another notable figure with this name is Preethi Reddy (1976-2022), an Indian-Australian dentist and entrepreneur who tragically lost her life in a high-profile domestic violence case that sparked widespread outrage and discussions on women's safety in Australia.
People
Preethi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Preethi 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
Preethi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Preethi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 183 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Preethi 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 1,872,975 US residents.
Is Preethi a common name?
We classify Preethi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 188 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Preethi most popular?
The single biggest year for Preethi was 2002, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Preethi is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Preethi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Preethi 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.