Given name · also Indian
Kalpana
“having a great imagination”
Kalpana is used as a given name. One Indian interpretation is “having a great imagination.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Indian interpretation is “having a great imagination.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Sanskrit.
How it developed
The name draws on Sanskrit kalpana, meaning “making, imagining, fantasy”.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1966. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kalpana through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 31
- 0 boys · 31 girls
- Most popular year
- 1971
- 8 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1974. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 8 in 1971. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,335 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kalpana’s family of names
Kalpana has a related form in Kalpanah. Kalpana has a related form in Kalpanna. Kalpana has a related form in Kalpannah.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Kalpana
- Kalpana ChawlaAmerican astronaut1962–2003
- Kalpana DattaIndian revolutionary and politician (1913-1995)
- Kalpana LajmiIndian film director1954–2018
- Kalpana SarojIndian Entrepreneurborn 1961
- Kalpana DashIndian mountaineer (1966-2019)
- Kalpana KartikIndian actressborn 1931
- Kalpana Devi ThoudamIndian judokaborn 1989
- Kalpana ShahIndian fashion designerborn 1948
- Kalpana KalahastiIndian scientist and aerospace engineerborn 1974
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kalpana, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kamini
Kamini is a feminine given name from Sanskrit.
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“night”
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Archana
Archana is a feminine given name from Sanskrit.
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Tamara
“date palm” · “from the palm tree”
>99% girls
Devaki
Devaki is a feminine given name from Sanskrit.
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Kami
“a loving man”
5% boys · 95% girls
Aarti
Aarti is a feminine given name from Sanskrit.
>99% girls
Tara
“hill”
>99% girls