Lama
A Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader or monk.
Name Census estimates that about 497 living Americans carry the first name Lama. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lama today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lama births was 2019 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lama. 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 Lama with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
497
~ 1 in 689,647 Americans
Peak year
2019
19 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,913
Tracked since 1978
Census
Lama in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,078 people with the first name Lama, which placed it at #11,751 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
#11,751
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,078 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
84.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lama
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lama is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Lama 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 Lama at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 911
- Black or African American5.7% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.8% · 52
- Two or more races3.4% · 37
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 17
Popularity
Lama: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lama from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 154 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lama remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lama 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 Lama during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lamas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lama
The name Lama has its origins in Tibetan Buddhism, where it refers to a highly respected spiritual leader or teacher. The word "lama" itself is derived from the Tibetan word "bla-ma," which means "superior one" or "guru."
In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, lamas are individuals who have attained a high level of spiritual understanding and are considered enlightened beings. They serve as guides and mentors, helping others on their spiritual journey and providing teachings on various aspects of Buddhism.
The earliest known use of the title "lama" dates back to the 7th century CE, when it was used to refer to the spiritual leaders of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. Over time, the name gained prominence and became associated with revered figures in Tibetan Buddhism, such as the Dalai Lamas, who are considered the highest spiritual leaders of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism.
One of the most famous lamas in history is Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), the founder of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. He played a crucial role in revitalizing and reforming Tibetan Buddhism, emphasizing the importance of strict monastic discipline and the study of Buddhist philosophy.
Another notable lama is Milarepa (1052-1135), a Tibetan Buddhist yogi and poet who is revered for his spiritual attainments and influential teachings. His life story, which involves overcoming adversity and achieving enlightenment, has inspired countless individuals throughout the centuries.
In the 19th century, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892) was a highly respected lama known for his expertise in various Buddhist traditions and his efforts to preserve and promote the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism.
Yeshe Tsogyal (757-817), a renowned female lama and spiritual consort of Padmasambhava, played a crucial role in the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet. She is revered for her wisdom, spiritual accomplishments, and contributions to the preservation of Buddhist teachings.
Longchenpa (1308-1363), also known as Dri-med 'od-zer, was a highly influential Tibetan Buddhist scholar and lama renowned for his profound teachings on the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. His works, such as the "Seven Treasuries," are considered seminal texts in Tibetan Buddhist literature.
While the name Lama is closely associated with Tibetan Buddhism, it has also gained recognition and respect in other Buddhist traditions, as well as in various cultures influenced by Tibetan Buddhism, particularly in the Himalayan regions and parts of Asia.
People
Lama + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lama as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lama: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lama?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 497 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lama 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 689,647 US residents.
Is Lama a common name?
We classify Lama as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 507 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lama most popular?
The single biggest year for Lama was 2019, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lama is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lama in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,078 people with the name Lama, or 0.36 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,751 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 Lama 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 Lama?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lama leans strongly female. 1,020 people counted with this name were female (94.3%), compared with 62 male bearers (5.7%). 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 Lama?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lama is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.8%). 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 Lama most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lama in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (911 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 Lama in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lama a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lama in the SSA data are female. 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 Lama still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lama 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 Lama 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 share the name Lama?
Want to know how many Americans are named Lama? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.