Lotus
A feminine name derived from the aquatic flower and representing qualities like purity and enlightenment.
Name Census estimates that about 2,171 living Americans carry the first name Lotus. It is a predominantly female name (93.3% of registrations). The average person named Lotus today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lotus births was 2021 (164 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lotus. 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 Lotus with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Lotus is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 16 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 157,879 Americans
Peak year
2021
164 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,663
Tracked since 1896
Census
Lotus in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,582 people with the first name Lotus, which placed it at #8,978 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
#8,978
National first-name rank
People counted
1.6K
1,582 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
45.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lotus
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lotus is White at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.2%) and Hispanic (14.3%). 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 Lotus 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 Lotus at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.4% · 719
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.2% · 240
- Hispanic or Latino14.3% · 227
- Black or African American12.3% · 195
- Two or more races11.1% · 176
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 25
Gender
Gender distribution for Lotus
Lotus leans heavily female at 93.3% of total registrations, but 189 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Lotus as a male name
- Ranked #4,969 in 2024
- 20 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (25 births)
Lotus as a female name
- Ranked #1,663 in 2024
- 123 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (140 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lotus leans strongly female. 1,461 people counted with this name were female (92.8%), compared with 114 male bearers (7.2%).
Popularity
Lotus: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lotus from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 893 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Lotus remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lotus 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 Lotus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lotus' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Lotus, while Missouri, Minnesota, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 43 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lotus
The name Lotus has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, tracing back to India and the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "padma," which refers to the beautiful and revered lotus flower. The lotus flower holds immense cultural and spiritual significance in various Eastern religions and philosophies, symbolizing purity, enlightenment, and spiritual awakening.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Lotus can be found in Hindu scriptures and mythology. In the ancient Indian epic, the Ramayana, Lotus is mentioned as the name of a character, a celestial nymph or Apsara. The name is also associated with the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, who is often depicted as sitting on a lotus flower, representing divine beauty, prosperity, and fertility.
During the classical period of Indian history, the name Lotus gained popularity among the ruling dynasties and nobility. One notable figure bearing this name was Lotus Rishi, a revered sage and philosopher who lived during the 5th century BCE. His teachings and writings on spirituality and self-realization were highly influential in shaping the philosophical discourse of the time.
As Buddhism spread from its birthplace in India to other parts of Asia, the name Lotus gained significance in Buddhist traditions as well. The lotus flower is a prominent symbol in Buddhist art and architecture, representing the path to enlightenment and the unfolding of the soul from the primordial mud of materialism.
In the 7th century CE, a Chinese Buddhist monk named Lotus traveled to India to study the sacred texts and brought back invaluable knowledge and manuscripts to China. His contributions played a crucial role in the dissemination of Buddhist teachings in the region.
Throughout history, the name Lotus has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields. One notable example is Lotus Blossom, a renowned Chinese dancer and choreographer who lived during the early 20th century. Her innovative dance performances and choreography helped popularize Chinese classical dance on the global stage.
Another prominent figure was Lotus Weinstock, an American artist and sculptor born in 1907. Her abstract sculptures and works of art were widely acclaimed and exhibited in various galleries and museums across the United States.
In more recent times, Lotus Thickett, a British writer and poet born in 1949, gained recognition for her poetic works that explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition.
The name Lotus continues to be a popular choice for individuals seeking a name with deep cultural roots and symbolic meanings, resonating with the ideals of beauty, purity, and spiritual enlightenment.
People
Lotus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lotus 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
Lotus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lotus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,171 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lotus 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 157,879 US residents.
Is Lotus a common name?
We classify Lotus as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,842 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lotus most popular?
The single biggest year for Lotus was 2021, when 164 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lotus is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lotus in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,582 people with the name Lotus, or 0.52 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #8,978 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 Lotus 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 Lotus?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lotus leans strongly female. 1,461 people counted with this name were female (92.8%), compared with 114 male bearers (7.2%). 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 Lotus?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lotus is White at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.2%) and Hispanic (14.3%). 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 Lotus most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Lotus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.4% (719 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 Lotus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lotus a female name?
Yes, 93.3% of people registered as Lotus 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 Lotus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lotus 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 Lotus 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 common is the name Lotus?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Lotus at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.