Bhodi
A masculine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "awakening" or "enlightenment".
Name Census estimates that about 42 living Americans carry the first name Bhodi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bhodi today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bhodi births was 2024 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bhodi. 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 Bhodi with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bhodi. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
42
~ 1 in 8,160,818 Americans
Peak year
2024
19 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,071
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Bhodi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bhodi from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 37 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bhodi 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 Bhodi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bhodi
The name Bhodi is derived from the Sanskrit word "bodhi," which means "enlightenment" or "awakening." It is believed to have originated in ancient India, where Buddhism first emerged as a religion and philosophy.
One of the most significant historical references to the word "bodhi" is in the context of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. According to Buddhist teachings, Gautama attained enlightenment or "bodhi" while sitting under a bodhi tree (also known as a peepal tree or ficus religiosa) in present-day Bodh Gaya, India.
The earliest recorded use of the name Bhodi is not entirely clear, but it is likely that it came into use as a personal name after the spread of Buddhism, particularly in regions where the religion took hold, such as parts of South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Bhodi was Bhodi Dharma, a Buddhist monk who is credited with introducing Chan Buddhism (known as Zen Buddhism in Japan) to China in the 5th or 6th century CE. He is an important figure in the history of Buddhism and is revered by Zen Buddhists.
Another notable figure with the name Bhodi was Bhodi Rakhita, a Buddhist monk and scholar who lived in the 5th century CE in present-day Sri Lanka. He is known for his contributions to the study of Buddhist texts and for his role in preserving and spreading Buddhist teachings.
In more recent history, Bhodi Thapa was a Nepali poet and writer who lived from 1880 to 1960. He is considered one of the pioneers of modern Nepali literature and is celebrated for his contributions to the development of the Nepali language and literary traditions.
Bhodi Saraswati was an Indian spiritual teacher and yogi who lived from 1876 to 1936. He was influential in spreading the teachings of Hinduism and yoga in the West and is credited with helping to popularize yoga and meditation practices in the United States and Europe.
Bhodi Prasad Mukherjee was an Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary who lived from 1897 to 1974. He played an active role in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule and was a prominent member of the revolutionary group Anushilan Samiti.
While the name Bhodi has its roots in Sanskrit and Buddhism, it has gained popularity beyond its religious and cultural origins, with people from various backgrounds using it as a personal name for its spiritual connotations and connection to the idea of enlightenment.
People
Bhodi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bhodi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bhodi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bhodi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 42 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bhodi 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 8,160,818 US residents.
Is Bhodi a common name?
We classify Bhodi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 51.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 42 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bhodi most popular?
The single biggest year for Bhodi was 2024, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bhodi is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Bhodi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bhodi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bhodi in the SSA data are male. 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 Bhodi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bhodi 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 Bhodi 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Bhodi?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.