Pema
Meaning
lotus; famously borne by Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan
The story
Pema is the Tibetan word for lotus, from the Sanskrit padma, and in Buddhist thought the lotus is the great emblem of purity rising unstained from muddy water, which makes this less a name than a small prayer. Across Tibet and Bhutan it is given to daughters and sons alike. Its most visible bearer today is Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan, who married King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in 2011 at twenty-one, becoming one of the youngest queens in the world, and who has since become the serene, modern face of the small Himalayan kingdom, often photographed in the bright woven kira of Bhutanese dress. In the United States Pema is a genuine rarity, present only as the faintest recent trace in the records, a soft two-syllable name that carries a whole philosophy and a queen inside it.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Pema has stayed rare in US records the whole time: no peak decade to name.
When you meet Pema
Most people given the name Pema in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Pema deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Pema truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Pema fits with your family’s names and surname.
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