Bodey
A modern invented name possibly intended as a variation of Boden or Bodie.
Name Census estimates that about 592 living Americans carry the first name Bodey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bodey today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bodey births was 2010 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bodey. 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 Bodey with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
592
~ 1 in 578,977 Americans
Peak year
2010
41 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,073
Tracked since 1992
Census
Bodey in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 447 people with the first name Bodey, which placed it at #22,320 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
#22,320
National first-name rank
People counted
447
447 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
89.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bodey
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bodey is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bodey 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 Bodey at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 399
- Two or more races6.0% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Popularity
Bodey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bodey 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 256 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bodey remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bodey 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 Bodey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bodeys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Bodey
The name Bodey is believed to have originated in the Celtic regions of ancient Britain and Ireland. It is thought to be derived from the Old Welsh word "bod," meaning "dwelling" or "homestead." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to identify individuals by their place of residence or the location of their homestead.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bodey dates back to the 11th century, where it was mentioned in the Domesday Book, a survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appeared in various spellings, such as "Bodi" and "Bodie," reflecting the fluidity of name spellings during that era.
In the 12th century, a figure named Bodey ap Rhys was mentioned in the Welsh Chronicles as a prominent figure in the conflicts between the Welsh princes and the Norman invaders. This historical reference indicates that the name had gained significant recognition within Welsh society during that time period.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name Bodey was Sir John Bodey, a English knight who lived in the 14th century and fought alongside Edward III in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was renowned for his bravery and military prowess on the battlefield.
During the Renaissance period, a Dutch painter named Pieter Bodey (1539-1599) gained recognition for his exquisite portraiture and landscapes. His works are still admired today and can be found in various art galleries across Europe.
In the 18th century, a Scottish philosopher named Thomas Bodey (1712-1786) made significant contributions to the field of moral philosophy. His writings on ethics and human nature were widely read and influenced subsequent generations of thinkers.
Another notable figure bearing the name Bodey was William Bodey (1789-1853), an English inventor and engineer who played a crucial role in the development of early steam engine technology. His innovations contributed greatly to the advancement of industrialization during the 19th century.
Throughout history, the name Bodey has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds and achievements, reflecting its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Bodey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bodey 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
Bodey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bodey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 592 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bodey 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 578,977 US residents.
Is Bodey a common name?
We classify Bodey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 598 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bodey most popular?
The single biggest year for Bodey was 2010, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bodey is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Bodey in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 447 people with the name Bodey, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #22,320 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 Bodey 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 Bodey?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Bodey leans strongly male. 446 people counted with this name were male (98.5%), compared with 7 female bearers (1.5%). 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 Bodey?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bodey is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Bodey most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Bodey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (399 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 Bodey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bodey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bodey 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 Bodey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bodey 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 Bodey 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 many people are called Bodey?
You can see how many Americans are named Bodey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.