Bodhi
Bodhi was the 265th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,301 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 233 places. More babies were named Bodhi in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning awakening, enlightenment (Sanskrit) · Sanskrit
Say it BOH-dee /ˈboʊdi/
- Rank in 2025
- #265 boys, up 30 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,301boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,301 babies
- Total since 1880
- 14,854babies recorded
What does the name Bodhi mean?
Bodhi is a Sanskrit and Pali word (Dictionary.com gives the same source) for awakening or enlightenment in Buddhism, from a verb root meaning "to wake, to know". It is also the name of the fig tree under which the Buddha is said to have reached enlightenment. As an American first name it is recent; Wiktionary notes its modern English use was helped along by characters in films and comics, such as the surfer Bodhi in Point Break (1991).
बोधि (Sanskrit, “awakening, enlightenment”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Bodie.
See also: Sanskrit and Indian names, names that mean wisdom.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bodhi', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'bodhi', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'bodhi', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Bodhi popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 562 since 2005, 30 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #265 | 1,301 |
| 2020 | #295 | 1,153 |
| 2010 | #907 | 225 |
| 2000 | #4,225 | 18 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Bodhi, counting every spelling?
Bodhi is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #279 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #265 for Bodhi on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,309 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodhi | 1,301 | #265 | 5,889 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Bodhi?
1,301 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bodhi (0.36 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Bodhi born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 6 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bodhi.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bodhi?
About 14,200 people born in the US named Bodhi are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 10. That makes Bodhi a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bodhi by state
How common Bodhi was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (4.9×), Vermont (4.9×), Montana (4.5×), Oregon (2.9×), Maine (2.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in District of Columbia, Texas, North Dakota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bodhi: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bodhi, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bodhi · Sibling names for Bodhi
Questions about the name Bodhi
What does Bodhi mean?
Bodhi means “awakening, enlightenment (Sanskrit)” (Sanskrit origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bodhi?
Bodhi was the 265th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,301 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 233 places. More babies were named Bodhi in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Bodhi a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Bodhi in the US.
Where is Bodhi most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bodhi was most common in Hawaii (3.35 per 1,000 boys), followed by Vermont and Montana.