Named after Bhavanarayana Swamy temple, it was originally called Bhavapuri, and later to Bhavapatla and finally, Bapatla, in due course. In 1977, a proposal to form Bapatla district was made by Kolla Venkaiah, famous communist leader. On April 4, 2022 as part of forming districts with parliamentary constituencies as the basis, the district was created with parts from erstwhile Prakasam district and Guntur districts.