He and his Indian ancestors are Roman Catholics.
Jindal was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Amar and Raj Jindal, who came to the United States as immigrants from Punjab, India.
Jindal attended Baton Rouge Magnet High School, graduating in 1988. He competed in tennis tournaments, started a computer newsletter, a retail candy business, and a mail-order software company. He spent his free time working at the concession stands during LSU football games. Jindal was one of 50 students nationwide admitted to the elite PLME program at Brown University, guaranteeing him a place in medical school. He was interested in public policy. Jindal also completed a second major in biology. He graduated in 1991 at the age of 20, with honors in both majors.
Jindal was named a member of the 1992 USA Today All-USA Academic Team. He was accepted by both Harvard Medical School and Yale Law School, but studied at New College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar. He received an M.Litt. degree in political science with an emphasis in health policy from the University of Oxford in 1994 for his thesis "A needs-based approach to health care". He turned down an offer to study for a D.Phil. in politics, but instead joined the consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
Jindal was raised in a Hindu household, but converted to Christianity while in high school. During his first year at Brown University, he was received into the Catholic Church. His family attends weekly Mass at Saint Aloysius Parish in Baton Rouge.
Jindal's father, Amar Jindal, received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Guru Nanak Dev University. Jindal's mother, Raj (Pal) Jindal, is an information technology director for the Louisiana Department of Labor and served as Assistant Secretary to former State Labor Secretary Garey Forster during the administration of Governor Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr. Prior to immigrating to the United States, both his parents were lecturers at an Indian engineering college. According to Jindal, his mother was already four months pregnant with him when they arrived from India. Jindal has a younger brother, Nikesh, who is a registered Republican and supported his brother's campaign for Governor. Nikesh went to Dartmouth College and then Yale Law School, where he graduated with honors. He is now a lawyer in Washington, D. C.
Jindal's nickname dates to his childhood identification with a sitcom character. He has said, "Every day after school, I'd come home and I'd watch The Brady Bunch. And I identified with Bobby, you know? He was about my age, and 'Bobby' stuck." He has been known by his nickname ever since, though
his legal name remains Piyush Jindal.
In 1997, Jindal married Supriya Jolly who was born in New Delhi, India and moved to Baton Rouge with her parents when she was four years old. They attended the same high school, but Supriya's family moved from Baton Rouge to New Orleans after her freshman year and they did not begin dating until later, when Jindal invited her to a Mardi Gras party after another friend had canceled. Supriya Jindal earned a Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and an M.B.A. degree from Tulane University. She will receive a Ph.D. in marketing at Louisiana State University when she successfully completes her dissertation. She created The Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana's Children, a non-profit organization aimed at improving math and science education in grade schools.They have three children: Selia Elizabeth, Shaan Robert, and Slade Ryan. Shaan was born with a congenital heart defect and had surgery as an infant. The Jindals have been outspoken advocates for children with congenital defects, particularly those without insurance. In 2006, Jindal and his wife delivered their third child at home. Barely able to call 911 before the delivery, Jindal received medical coaching by phone to deliver their eight-pound, 2.5 ounce boy.
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