| Bodhi | Aryan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | awakening, enlightenment | Noble |
| Origin | sanskrit | sanskrit |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | BOH-dee | AR-yun |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1976 | 1978 |
| Peak year | 2025 (1,301) | 2007 (406) |
| In 2025 | 1,301 | 275 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Bodhi | Aryan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7,042 | 1,835 |
| 2010s | 6,291 | 3,347 |
| 2000s | 788 | 2,594 |
| 1990s | 156 | 254 |
| 1980s | 0 | 71 |
| 1970s | 15 | 5 |
From the Sanskrit word 'bodhi', meaning 'awakening' or 'enlightenment', a central concept in Buddhism (the Buddha attained bodhi under the Bodhi tree). Its use as a given name is modern and tied to this spiritual meaning.
From Sanskrit arya (आर्य), 'noble, honourable, worthy'. The original sense is one of nobility and virtue; it is unrelated to later misappropriations of the term.
Bodhi is more popular than Aryan today: about 1,301 US babies were given the name Bodhi in 2025, compared with 275 named Aryan.
Bodhi means awakening, enlightenment (sanskrit origin), while Aryan means Noble (sanskrit origin).
In US records, Bodhi first appears in 1976 and Aryan in 1978, so Bodhi has the longer recorded history.