Bodi

BAW-dee; BOE-dee
Hungarian, Slavic diminutive; variant of Bodhi "God protect the king; divine gift; enlightenment"
"God protect the king; divine gift; enlightenment"

Bodi Origin and Meaning

The name Bodi is a boy's name of Hungarian origin meaning "God protect the king; divine gift; enlightenment".

Bodi is a succinct and friendly looking name, with a number of possible origins. One one hand, it could be a diminutive of the Hungarian Boldizsár, which ultimately derives from the Babylonian Belshazzar or Balthazar, in turn lending it a regal quality.

Alternatively, it could derive from a number of Slavic names, such as Božidar, meaning "divine gift" or Bogdan, meaning "given by God". As Slavic translations of Theodore and Theodotus, Bodi, in a way, feels like an equivalent to the English Teddy.

Another possibility is that it is a modern variation on the Sanskrit Bodhi, and it is likely that this is the reason for its increased usage in the US. An obscure choice before the 2000s, Bodi began to see more significant use in the mid-2010s, around the same time that Bodhi - and similar Bodie - were accelerating up the charts. By dropping the H, parents may feel like they're separating the name from its spiritual ties, while still keeping hold of that interesting -i ending.

Bodi Popularity

Bodi in Pop Culture

  • BODIE
    drug dealer from The Wire