Padmé is from the Sanskrit *padma* (पद्म) — "lotus" — the sacred flower of Hindu and Buddhist iconography, associated with the goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati, and the most-pictured plant in Asian religious art. **George Lucas chose the name for Padmé Amidala — Queen and Senator of Naboo, secret wife of Anakin Skywalker, and mother of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005)**. **Played by Natalie Portman across *The Phantom Menace* (1999), *Attack of the Clones* (2002), and *Revenge of the Sith* (2005); appears posthumously in *Rogue One* and *Obi-Wan Kenobi*; voiced by Catherine Taber in *The Clone Wars* (2008-2020)**. **As Queen Amidala, she became Star Wars' first onscreen elected monarch — chosen by Naboo voters at age 14**. **The most-cosplayed Star Wars character outside the original trilogy according to D23 surveys**. **A top-1000 US baby name since 2002 driven by the prequels' release**. **"Om Mani Padme Hum"** — Tibetan Buddhist mantra meaning "praise to the jewel in the lotus."
Featured throughout the Star Wars saga and Buddhist devotional practice.
Padmé reduces to eight — the number of Queen of Naboo.