Bodhi
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- BOH-dee
- Origin
- Sanskrit
- UK rank, 2025
- #116 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #265 for boys
Bodhi is a boys' name of Sanskrit origin, meaning “awakening, enlightenment”. In 2025 it ranked 116th for boys in the UK (509 babies) and 265th for boys in the US (1,301 babies).
What does Bodhi mean?
Sanskrit
“awakening, enlightenment”
The Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Bodhi a girl's or a boy's name?
Bodhi is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 18 girls and 509 boys in the UK and 30 girls and 1,301 boys in the US.
How popular is Bodhi in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 116th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 509 about 1 in 590 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising up 74% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 2.4% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 509 boys in the UK were named Bodhi, making it the 116th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 163rd. Its busiest year was 2024, with 593 boys. 18 girls were also named Bodhi in 2025 (1,690th for girls).
Half of all the boys named Bodhi in the UK since 1996 were born between 2018 and 2023, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 665 boys in the UK were given Bodhi or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #95, up from #116 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 115th in England and Wales, 166th in Scotland and 169th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 2024 (#97).
Bodhi in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 509 | #116 |
| 2024 | 593 | #104 |
| 2023 | 572 | #107 |
| 2022 | 556 | #115 |
| 2021 | 424 | #150 |
| 2020 | 370 | #163 |
| 2019 | 288 | #200 |
| 2018 | 302 | #195 |
| 2017 | 387 | #164 |
| 2016 | 259 | #236 |
| 2015 | 155 | #340 |
| 2014 | 123 | #382 |
| 2013 | 54 | #685 |
| 2012 | 58 | #658 |
| 2011 | 33 | #952 |
| 2010 | 35 | #911 |
| 2009 | 18 | #1,391 |
| 2008 | 15 | #1,547 |
| 2007 | 9 | #2,139 |
| 2006 | 15 | #1,423 |
| 2005 | 1 | #5,109 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 4 | #2,751 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 3 | #3,146 |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 1 | #3,776 |
How popular is Bodhi in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 265th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 1,301 about 1 in 1,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steady up 5% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 1,301 boys in the US were named Bodhi, making it the 265th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 295th. It first appears in the records in 1976. 30 girls were also named Bodhi in 2025 (4,545th for girls).
2025 had the most boys named Bodhi of any year since it first appeared, in 1976.
Half of all the boys named Bodhi in the US since 1880 were born between 2016 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 3,357 boys in the US were given Bodhi or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #118, up from #265 for this spelling alone.
Bodhi in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,301 | #265 |
| 2024 | 1,117 | #301 |
| 2023 | 1,126 | #294 |
| 2022 | 1,125 | #300 |
| 2021 | 1,220 | #284 |
| 2020 | 1,153 | #295 |
| 2019 | 1,133 | #300 |
| 2018 | 1,090 | #312 |
| 2017 | 1,173 | #300 |
| 2016 | 921 | #361 |
| 2015 | 585 | #498 |
| 2014 | 436 | #612 |
| 2013 | 271 | #806 |
| 2012 | 238 | #880 |
| 2011 | 219 | #919 |
| 2010 | 225 | #904 |
| 2009 | 144 | #1,241 |
| 2008 | 138 | #1,263 |
| 2007 | 124 | #1,350 |
| 2006 | 105 | #1,460 |
| 2005 | 70 | #1,834 |
| 2004 | 55 | #2,127 |
| 2003 | 47 | #2,265 |
| 2002 | 51 | #2,088 |
| 2001 | 36 | #2,613 |
| 2000 | 18 | #4,198 |
| 1999 | 28 | #2,935 |
| 1998 | 25 | #3,089 |
| 1997 | 25 | #2,976 |
| 1996 | 18 | #3,672 |
| 1995 | 13 | #4,502 |
| 1994 | 15 | #4,088 |
| 1993 | 18 | #3,495 |
| 1992 | 14 | #4,106 |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 5 | #6,054 |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 5 | #5,843 |
| 1976 | 5 | #5,584 |
Names like Bodhi
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Aarav, Yahya, River, Vihaan, Shivansh, Arjan, Brody, Ayaan, Avi, Yuvraj, Avyaan, Jaxon
Other spellings of Bodhi
Bodie, Bohdi, Bode, Bhodi, Bodi, Bhodie, Bodee, Bodey, Bohdie, Bowdy
More Sanskrit names
Maya, Arya, Lila, Arjun, Rohan, Kali, Aryan, Opal, Aadhya, Ishaan, Siya, Leena, Veer, Veda, India, Avani
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Bodhi: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/bodhi, updated 20 October 2026.