Kaavya
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "poem" or "literary work".
Name Census estimates that about 466 living Americans carry the first name Kaavya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kaavya today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaavya births was 2006 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaavya. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kaavya with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
466
~ 1 in 735,524 Americans
Peak year
2006
40 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,654
Tracked since 1994
Census
Kaavya in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 482 people with the first name Kaavya, which placed it at #21,162 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
#21,162
National first-name rank
People counted
482
482 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
92.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaavya
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaavya is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and White (1.2%). 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 Kaavya 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 Kaavya at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.9% · 448
- Two or more races3.5% · 17
- White1.2% · 6
- Black or African American1.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Kaavya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaavya from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 232 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
Kaavya 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 Kaavya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaavyas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, New Jersey, Texas recorded the most babies named Kaavya, while New York, Illinois, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaavya
The name Kaavya originates from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that flourished in the Indian subcontinent. It finds its roots in the word "kavya," which means poetry or poetic composition. This etymology suggests that the name carries a connotation of artistic expression and literary grace.
The earliest known usage of the name Kaavya can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Vedas and Puranas. These sacred texts are believed to have been composed between 1500 BCE and 500 CE, highlighting the name's long-standing presence in Indian culture and tradition.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Kaavya is the 7th-century Sanskrit poet and dramatist, Bhavabhuti. Known for his renowned works, including the play "Uttara-Rama-Charita," Bhavabhuti's literary contributions have left an indelible mark on Sanskrit literature.
Another prominent figure was Kaavya Mitra, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived during the 9th century CE. He authored several celebrated works, including the "Raghava-Pandaviya," a mahakavya (epic poem) that skillfully interweaves the tales of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.
In the realm of Hindu mythology, the name Kaavya is associated with Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, and wisdom. This connection further reinforces the name's association with creativity, eloquence, and intellectual pursuits.
Moving forward in time, the name Kaavya gained popularity among Indian communities, particularly in regions where Sanskrit and its influence held strong cultural significance. One notable bearer of the name was Kaavya Narayanan, an Indian-American poet and writer born in 1995, whose work explores themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the immigrant experience.
Throughout history, the name Kaavya has been bestowed upon individuals from various walks of life, reflecting its enduring appeal and the reverence for literary traditions in Indian culture. Its rich etymology and historical associations have contributed to its significance and continued use across generations.
People
Kaavya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaavya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kaavya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaavya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 466 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaavya 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 735,524 US residents.
Is Kaavya a common name?
We classify Kaavya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 471 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaavya most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaavya was 2006, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaavya is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kaavya in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 482 people with the name Kaavya, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,162 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 Kaavya 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 Kaavya?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kaavya leans strongly female. 470 people counted with this name were female (97.5%), compared with 12 male bearers (2.5%). 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 Kaavya?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaavya is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and White (1.2%). 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 Kaavya most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Kaavya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (448 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 Kaavya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaavya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaavya 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 Kaavya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaavya 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 Kaavya 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 common is the name Kaavya?
See how many people share the name Kaavya on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.