Bodhe
A Hindu and Buddhist name of Buddhist origins meaning "enlightened one".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Bodhe. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bodhe today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bodhe births was 2017 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bodhe. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bodhe. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2017
6 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2017 SSA rank
#10,955
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Bodhe: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Bodhe 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 Bodhe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Bodhe
The name Bodhe originates from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that has its roots in India. The name is believed to have emerged around the 5th century BCE, during the Vedic period of ancient Indian history.
Bodhe is derived from the Sanskrit word "bodhi," which means "enlightenment" or "awakening." In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, bodhi is associated with the attainment of spiritual wisdom and the transcendence of ignorance and suffering. The name Bodhe is closely connected to these spiritual concepts and carries a deep spiritual significance.
Historically, the name Bodhe has been mentioned in various ancient Indian texts and scriptures. One notable reference is found in the Buddhist literature, where it is associated with the life of Gautama Buddha, who is said to have attained enlightenment or "bodhi" under the Bodhi Tree in Bodh Gaya, India.
The earliest recorded examples of the name Bodhe can be traced back to ancient Indian texts and inscriptions from the 5th century BCE onwards. Some notable individuals who bore the name Bodhe throughout history include:
1. Bodhe Dharma (470-543 CE), a famous Buddhist monk who is credited with introducing Zen Buddhism to China.
2. Bodhe Ratna (7th century CE), a renowned Buddhist scholar and author from India who wrote several influential texts on Buddhist philosophy.
3. Bodhe Shri (10th century CE), a prominent Indian poet and philosopher who contributed to the Tantric tradition of Hinduism.
4. Bodhe Nath (12th century CE), a revered Hindu saint and mystic from the Nath tradition, known for his spiritual teachings and practices.
5. Bodhe Singh (1670-1705 CE), a brave warrior and military leader from the Sikh tradition, who played a significant role in defending the Sikh faith during the reign of the Mughal Empire in India.
Throughout history, the name Bodhe has been revered and associated with individuals who have sought spiritual enlightenment, wisdom, and the pursuit of knowledge. It has been a popular name among various religious and philosophical traditions in India, particularly in Buddhism and Hinduism.
People
Bodhe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bodhe 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
Bodhe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bodhe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bodhe 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Bodhe a common name?
We classify Bodhe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bodhe most popular?
The single biggest year for Bodhe was 2017, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bodhe is about 9 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 Bodhe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bodhe a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bodhe 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 Bodhe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bodhe 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 Bodhe 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 Bodhe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.