Bodhisattva
A being who has resolved to attain enlightenment and then teach others.
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Bodhisattva. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bodhisattva today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bodhisattva births was 2017 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bodhisattva. 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 Bodhisattva. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2017
5 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2021 SSA rank
#12,400
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Bodhisattva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bodhisattva from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Bodhisattva remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bodhisattva 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 Bodhisattva 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 Bodhisattva
The name Bodhisattva has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was an ancient Indic language used in the Indian subcontinent. The word "Bodhisattva" is derived from the Sanskrit words "bodhi" meaning "awakening" or "enlightenment," and "sattva," meaning "being" or "essence." It refers to a being who is on the path to becoming a fully enlightened Buddha but has vowed to remain in the cycle of rebirth to help others attain enlightenment.
The concept of a Bodhisattva is central to Mahayana Buddhism, which emerged around the 1st century BCE in India and spread throughout Asia. The name Bodhisattva is mentioned in various Buddhist texts, including the Lotus Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, and the Vimalakirti Sutra, which describe the qualities and practices of these enlightened beings.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Bodhisattva is Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known as the Buddha. He was a prince born in the 5th or 6th century BCE in the Lumbini region of Nepal and is considered the historical founder of Buddhism.
Another famous Bodhisattva is Avalokitesvara, also known as Guanyin or Kannon, who is revered as the embodiment of compassion in Mahayana Buddhism. Avalokitesvara is believed to have lived during the time of the historical Buddha and is mentioned in various sutras.
In the 1st century CE, the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna wrote extensively about the concept of the Bodhisattva and is considered a significant figure in the development of the Mahayana tradition.
The name Bodhisattva also appears in the works of the Indian philosopher Shantideva, who lived in the 8th century CE and wrote the famous text "Bodhisattvacharyavatara" (A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life).
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, born in 1935, is a prominent figure in Tibetan Buddhism who is considered a reincarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and has dedicated his life to promoting compassion and non-violence.
People
Bodhisattva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bodhisattva 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
Bodhisattva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bodhisattva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bodhisattva 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Bodhisattva a common name?
We classify Bodhisattva as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bodhisattva most popular?
The single biggest year for Bodhisattva was 2017, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bodhisattva is about 7 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 Bodhisattva in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bodhisattva a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bodhisattva 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 Bodhisattva still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bodhisattva 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 Bodhisattva 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 Americans are named Bodhisattva?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Bodhisattva at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.