Fun Facts About the Name Tulsi
- 600 babies named Tulsi: U.S. records list 600 babies given the name Tulsi from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Tulsi Mean?
Tulsi is a usually feminine given name from Sanskrit. Its established meaning is "holy basil," the aromatic plant Ocimum tenuiflorum (also called Ocimum sanctum), which is sacred in Hinduism. The Sanskrit form is tulasī (तुलसी), and the word names the plant itself; the given name comes directly from that plant name.
The literal meaning is botanical, not abstract. Devotional and popular sources sometimes gloss the name as "the incomparable one," but that is a later symbolic or traditional interpretation rather than a securely documented etymology. Proposed links to Sanskrit tulā ("balance, comparison") are also uncertain.
Tulsi Name History & Origins
Tulsi belongs to the Sanskrit vocabulary of Hindu ritual and medicine, where the plant has long been cultivated in courtyards and temples. In Vaishnava tradition, the tulsi plant is associated with Vishnu and Krishna, and the goddess Tulsi is worshipped; she is often identified with Lakshmi. The name therefore carries a religious meaning before it functions as a personal name.
As a given name, Tulsi is used in India, Nepal, and Hindu communities elsewhere. It also appears in compound devotional names, most famously that of the poet-saint Tulsidas, traditionally placed in the sixteenth century, whose name means "servant of Tulsi." The shorter form Tulsi is distinct from the longer Tulasi, which follows the Sanskrit spelling more closely.
How Popular is the Name Tulsi?
Tulsi 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 2024. Its best rank was #4,097 in 2024.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,162 | 35 | 0.0022% |
| 2024 | #4,097 | 36 | 0.0022% |
| 2023 | #5,239 | 25 | 0.0016% |
| 2022 | #4,285 | 34 | 0.0021% |
| 2021 | #5,081 | 26 | 0.0016% |
| 2020 | #4,637 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 2019 | #8,567 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2018 | #9,111 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #4,567 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2016 | #7,950 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #9,441 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #10,896 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #11,891 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #14,870 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #10,341 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #8,251 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #15,131 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #10,043 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #11,567 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #8,214 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2005 | #9,408 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2004 | #10,641 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #7,555 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #5,081 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2001 | #7,697 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #11,733 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #7,213 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #5,351 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #5,617 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1996 | #7,552 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1995 | #6,243 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1994 | #8,757 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #11,729 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,037 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1991 | #7,407 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #9,203 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1989 | #8,003 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #9,207 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #9,770 | 7 | 0.0004% |
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.
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How the Name Tulsi Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. 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.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Tulsi's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Tulsi's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.