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National Bodhi Day – April 9, 2023

National Bodhi Day is observed annually on April 9 to celebrate this remarkable name. Many parents find searching for suitable monikers for their offspring great fun and sometimes this involves weeks of thought-provoking deliberation. Ultimately, who gets to choose? Dad or Mom? A name to consider is Bodhi, a unisex name of Sanskrit origin, which means ‘enlightenment,’ ‘awakening,’ or ‘understanding of true nature.’ In Buddhism, it’s a spiritual name that refers to a state of ‘nirvana’ and freedom from hate, greed, and ego. Sounds perfect, right?

History of National Bodhi Day

Bodhi is a unisex name of Sanskrit origin, which means ‘enlightenment,’ ‘awakening,’ or ‘understanding of true nature.’ In Buddhism, it’s a spiritual name that refers to a state of nirvana and freedom from hate, greed, and ego. The concept also encompasses a person’s liberation from the perpetual cycle of reincarnation and the termination of suffering through enlightenment and awakening. Bodhi is described as the absence of ego and self-centeredness. And when the state of Bodhi is achieved, the karmic journey ends with nirvana, where one rids oneself of what Buddhists describe as the three psychological evils namely, greed, or desire, anger, and delusion.

Additionally, the Bodhi tree is the specific sacred fig tree under which the founder of Buddhism — Siddhartha Gautama Buddha — is said to have achieved enlightenment after about 50 days of meditation. Other spelling variations of the name include Bodie, Bode, and Body.

Prior to 2010, Bodhi was so unpopular that it didn’t even make the list of the top 1,000 most popular names in the U.S. The name’s ranking in 2010 was 907 in the list of most popular male names but once again dropped to 920 in the following year. However, as the years progressed, Bodhi increased in popularity as a male name and finally reached its highest popularity in 2021, ranking at 284. Within that year, there were 1,206 births with the name Bodhi, accounting for 0.065% of total male births. Bodhi is not within the top 1,000 female names, meaning no records are available to gauge its level of popularity.

National Bodhi Day timeline

5th Century
Buddha Reaches Enlightenment

Buddha attains enlightenment under the Bodhi tree.

2010
Bodhi Makes the Top 1,000

Bodhi ranks at number 907 in the list of 1,000 most popular male names.

2011
Its Popularity Drops

Bodhi’s popularity rank drops to 920 in the list of most popular male names.

2021
It’s Popularity Peaks

Bodhi reaches its highest level of popularity, ranking at number 284.

National Bodhi Day FAQs

What countries speak Sanskrit?

Sanskrit is an official language in India. It is spoken in Nepal as well as a minority language in South Africa. Learning Sanskrit is compulsory in Japanese schools.

Are there any famous people called Bodhi in the U.S.?

Yes. Famous people named Bodhi include Bodhi Jones, Bodhi Pine Elfman, Bodhi Sporleder, Bodhi Russell Silberling, and Bodhi Taylor Bragonier.

What is nirvana?

Nirvana is a concept in Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, and Jainism that represents a state of release from karma (the consequences of their actions) and reincarnation.

National Bodhi Day Activities

  1. Find someone named Bodhi

    Know anyone called Bodhi? Today is a good day to celebrate them and tell them what a cool name they’ve got.

  2. Find anagrams

    Have some fun with anagrams. Make it a game to find out how many anagrams you can make from the name Bodhi.

  3. Use the hashtag

    More people need to learn about National Bodhi Day. Spark a conversation on social media and use the hashtag #nationalbodhiday

5 Amazing Facts About Sanskrit

  1. It is a truly ancient language

    Sanskrit has been identified as one of man’s oldest languages and is thought to be at least 5,000 years old.

  2. Many words originate from Sanskrit

    Researchers have found that there are words from the English, Greek, Latin, Gothic, and Persian languages that can be traced to Sanskrit.

  3. It is an official State Language

    India’s State of Uttarakhand has declared Sanskrit its official language.

  4. Only one newspaper written in Sanskrit

    The online paper ‘Sudharma’ is the only daily paper in the world that’s entirely written in Sanskrit.

  5. Sanskrit is very wordy

    This language has the largest vocabulary of all languages and you cannot run out of words to describe anything.

Why We Love National Bodhi Day

  1. The name is unique

    Compared to other more popular names, Bodhi is novel and rare. There are only a few people in the U.S. who bear the name and we love how cool that is.

  2. Bodhi is spiritual

    Bodhi is a name with spiritual significance to Buddhists. To adherents, the name symbolizes liberation from the perpetual cycle of reincarnation and the termination of suffering.

  3. The name is steeped in culture

    Bodhi has its origins in the Sanskrit language and South Asian culture. Cultural names are undoubtedly special.

National Bodhi Day dates

YearDateDay
2023April 9Sunday
2024April 9Tuesday
2025April 9Wednesday
2026April 9Thursday
2027April 9Friday

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