Purvi
Of Sanskrit origin, meaning the direction of east, morning or dawn.
Name Census estimates that about 273 living Americans carry the first name Purvi. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Purvi today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Purvi births was 1981 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Purvi. 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
273
~ 1 in 1,255,510 Americans
Peak year
1981
16 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2022 SSA rank
#17,181
Tracked since 1973
Popularity
Purvi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Purvi from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 76 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Purvi 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 Purvi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Purvis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Purvi
Purvi is a feminine given name that has its origins in the Sanskrit language. The name Purvi is derived from the Sanskrit word "purva," which means "eastern" or "ancient." The name is believed to have been in use in ancient India, particularly in the northern and eastern regions.
The name Purvi is mentioned in various Hindu scriptures and ancient texts. One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the Mahabharata, a renowned Sanskrit epic. The name is also found in the Puranas, which are a collection of ancient Hindu texts that contain myths, legends, and historical accounts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Purvi dates back to the 5th century BCE. Purvi was the name of a Buddhist nun who lived during the time of the Buddha. She is mentioned in the Therigatha, a collection of poems written by the first Buddhist nuns.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Purvi. One of the most prominent was Purvi Joshi (1934-2016), an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was renowned for her contributions to the revival and promotion of the Odissi dance form.
Another notable Purvi was Purvi Malhotra (1964-2007), an Indian actress and television presenter. She was best known for her roles in various Hindi films and television shows in the 1980s and 1990s.
Purvi Patel (born 1982) is a contemporary Indian-American woman who gained national attention in the United States for her controversial prosecution and conviction for feticide and neglect of a dependent, which was later overturned.
In the field of literature, Purvi Bhatt (born 1966) is an Indian-American poet and writer. She has published several collections of poetry and her work has been widely acclaimed.
Purvi Raniga (born 1985) is an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who specializes in the Kathak dance form. She has performed extensively both in India and abroad and has received numerous awards and accolades for her contributions to the art form.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Purvi throughout history, highlighting its rich cultural heritage and significance across various fields.
People
Purvi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Purvi 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
Purvi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Purvi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 273 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Purvi 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 1,255,510 US residents.
Is Purvi a common name?
We classify Purvi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 286 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Purvi most popular?
The single biggest year for Purvi was 1981, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Purvi is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Purvi a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Purvi 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.