Pema
About Pema
Pema is related to the more familiar Hindu name Padma and means lotus flower. This delightful name was given to only 14 girls in the USA last year, so it's guaranteed to be a unique choice. Pema is probably most familiar to Westerners through Buddhist nun Pema Chodron and through Jetsun Pema, the Dalai Lama's sister.
Note: Pema rhymes with Emma.
Pronounced PAY-muh.
As of October 2026, Pema ranked #10053 in US births in 2024 SSA, peaked at #7548 in 2022.
Editor's take: The name Pema is a girl's name of Tibetan origin meaning "lotus flower".
Popularity & trends
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Pema.
- Millaray
- Callalily
- Valo
- Sigal
- Clematis
- Dittany
- Julep
- Bonnibel
- Tuuli
- Chantilly
- Quetzal
- Daru
- Pari
- Picotee
- Kinta
- Lilyrose
- Verbena
- Skylark
- Mallow
- Gladiola
Pema on lists
Famous Pemas
- Pema Diki Sherpa
Nepalese mountaineer who in 2008 became the youngest woman to climb Mount Everest
- Pema Chödrön (born Deirdre Blomfield
Brown), American Tibetan Buddhist nun
- Pema Trinle
Tibetan Buddhist teacher
- Pema Hitch
English DJ; sister of singer Neon Hitch
- Pema Lingpa
male Tibetan Buddhist saint
Pema in pop culture
- Pema
Tenzin's wife in Avatar: The Legend of Korra