Pura
An Indian feminine given name meaning "town" or "village".
Name Census estimates that about 81 living Americans carry the first name Pura. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Pura today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Pura births was 1926 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Pura. 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 Pura is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Puras were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Pura. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
81
~ 1 in 4,231,535 Americans
Peak year
1926
9 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1979 SSA rank
#11,422
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Pura: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Pura from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 44 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Pura remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Pura 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 Pura during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Puras live
Origin
Meaning and history of Pura
The name Pura is derived from the Sanskrit word "pura," meaning "town" or "city." It has its origins in ancient India and is believed to have been used as early as the 6th century BCE.
In Hinduism, the word "pura" is often associated with sacred places or holy cities, such as Varanasi, also known as Kashi Pura. The name Pura may have been given to children as a symbol of prosperity and blessings, with the hope that they would thrive and flourish like a prosperous city.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pura can be found in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. In this text, Pura is mentioned as the name of a kingdom ruled by King Drupada during the time of the Kurukshetra War, around the 9th century BCE.
Over the centuries, the name Pura has been borne by several notable individuals throughout history. One such person was Pura Desa, a 12th-century Cambodian king who reigned over the Khmer Empire from 1181 to 1215 CE. He was known for his military campaigns and for the construction of several temples, including the famous Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom.
Another historical figure with the name Pura was Pura Gunapala Malalasekera, a renowned Sri Lankan Buddhist scholar and writer who lived from 1899 to 1973. He is best known for his contributions to the study of Pali literature and his English translations of Buddhist texts.
In the field of arts and literature, Pura Sankrityayan, an Indian scholar and traveler, made significant contributions. Born in 1887, he explored various regions of the Himalayas and Central Asia, documenting the cultures and languages he encountered during his travels. His writings provided valuable insights into the history and traditions of these areas.
Pura Naraporn was a Thai artist and sculptor who lived from 1905 to 1982. She is considered one of the pioneers of modern Thai art and is best known for her sculptures depicting traditional Thai life and Buddhist themes.
Finally, Pura Besakih was a Balinese Hindu priest and spiritual leader who played a significant role in the preservation and promotion of Balinese culture and traditions. He lived from 1908 to 1995 and was highly respected for his knowledge and dedication to the Hindu faith.
People
Pura + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Pura 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
Pura: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Pura?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 81 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Pura 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 4,231,535 US residents.
Is Pura a common name?
We classify Pura as "Very Rare". It ranks above 61.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 173 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Pura most popular?
The single biggest year for Pura was 1926, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Pura is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Pura a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Pura 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.