Padma
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "lotus flower".
Name Census estimates that about 50 living Americans carry the first name Padma. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Padma today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Padma births was 2007 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Padma. 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 Padma. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
50
~ 1 in 6,855,087 Americans
Peak year
2007
9 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2022 SSA rank
#17,150
Tracked since 1968
Census
Padma in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,226 people with the first name Padma, which placed it at #7,003 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
#7,003
National first-name rank
People counted
2.2K
2,226 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
94.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Padma
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Padma is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Padma 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 Padma at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander94.7% · 2,107
- White2.5% · 55
- Two or more races1.1% · 25
- Black or African American0.8% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Popularity
Padma: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Padma from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 19 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Padma 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 Padma during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Padmas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Padma
The name Padma is of Sanskrit origin and has roots dating back to ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "padma," which means "lotus flower." The lotus has held significant symbolism in Hindu and Buddhist cultures, representing purity, beauty, and spiritual awakening.
In Hindu mythology, the lotus is closely associated with the deities Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and Brahma, the creator god. The name Padma was often given to girls born in devout Hindu families as a way to honor these divine connections and bestow blessings of prosperity and spiritual enlightenment.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Padma can be found in the ancient Hindu text, the Mahabharata, where it is mentioned as the name of a celestial nymph. In Buddhist scriptures, such as the Lotus Sutra, the lotus flower is a central symbol, and the name Padma is often associated with female Buddhist deities and female disciples of the Buddha.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Padma. One of the earliest recorded instances is Padma Sambhava, also known as the "Lotus-Born," who was a revered Buddhist master and spiritual leader in the 8th century CE. He is credited with establishing Buddhism in Tibet and is considered a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Another famous bearer of the name was Padma Shri, an Indian writer and social activist who lived from 1917 to 1997. She was a recipient of the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, for her contributions to literature and social reform.
In the realm of science, Padma Deshmukh (1917-2013) was an Indian microbiologist and biochemist who made significant contributions to the study of plant viruses and their impact on agriculture.
Padma Lakshmi, born in 1970, is a contemporary American author, actress, and television host. She is best known for her work as a host on the popular cooking competition show "Top Chef."
Padma Bhushan, born in 1931, was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who was renowned for her contributions to the revival and promotion of the Odissi dance form. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors, for her artistic achievements.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Padma, a name that carries rich cultural significance and associations with beauty, purity, and spiritual enlightenment.
People
Padma + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Padma as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with P
Other first names starting with P with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Padma: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Padma?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 50 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Padma 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 6,855,087 US residents.
Is Padma a common name?
We classify Padma as "Very Rare". It ranks above 54.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 51 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Padma most popular?
The single biggest year for Padma was 2007, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Padma 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 Padma in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,226 people with the name Padma, or 0.74 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,003 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 Padma 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 Padma?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Padma leans strongly female. 2,097 people counted with this name were female (94.0%), compared with 134 male bearers (6.0%). 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 Padma?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Padma is Asian/Pacific Islander at 94.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Padma most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Padma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (2,107 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 Padma in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Padma a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Padma 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 Padma still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Padma 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 Padma 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 named Padma?
Find out how many Americans are named Padma on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.