Fun Facts About the Name Bulma
- 5 babies named Bulma: U.S. records list 5 babies given the name Bulma from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Bulma Mean?
Bulma means "bloomers" or "gym shorts" and comes from Japanese, where ブルマ (buruma) is a katakana loanword from English bloomers. The Japanese term names the short, gathered shorts worn for school sports, so the name is a word name whose literal sense is an article of clothing rather than a personal-name root.
In English the form is most familiar from the Dragon Ball manga and anime, in which Bulma is a central character and names are drawn from everyday words and articles of clothing.
Bulma Name History & Origins
In Japanese, the katakana ブルマ (buruma) shifted from the original English sense of loose athletic trousers to the snug shorts worn for school sports, and the romanization Bulma reflects the Japanese pronunciation of that word.
As a name, Bulma is associated above all with the character in Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball, serialized from 1984, and its anime adaptations. That character belongs to a family whose names come from clothing and underwear - her father Dr. Brief and her son Trunks - and the English spelling transliterates the katakana rather than descending from an older European given name.
How Popular is the Name Bulma?
Bulma has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2018. Its best rank was #16,128 in 2018.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #16,128 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with B
Short Girl Names That Start with B
How the Name Bulma Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Bulma's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bulma's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.