Oakie
A masculine name derived from the tree oak, symbolizing strength and endurance.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Oakie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Oakie today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oakie births was 1920 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oakie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Oakie is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Oakies were born before 1963.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Oakie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1920
5 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1957 SSA rank
#4,385
Tracked since 1920
Gender
Gender distribution for Oakie
Oakie is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 20 total registrations, 10 (50.0%) were male and 10 (50.0%) were female.
Oakie as a male name
- Ranked #4,385 in 1957
- 5 male births in 1957
- Peak: 1922 (5 births)
Oakie as a female name
- Ranked #5,574 in 1925
- 5 female births in 1925
- Peak: 1920 (5 births)
Popularity
Oakie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oakie from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Oakie remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oakie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Oakie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oakie
The name Oakie has its roots in the Old English language, originating from the word "ac," which means "oak tree." This name was typically given to individuals living near or associated with oak forests or groves. The earliest recorded instances of this name date back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England, around the 5th to 11th centuries.
During the Middle Ages, the name Oakie gained popularity among the English nobility and landed gentry, who often derived their surnames from natural features or landmarks on their estates. The name was sometimes spelled as "Oke" or "Oke," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Oakie can be found in the Domesday Book, a vast survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions an individual named "Oacus," which is believed to be a variant spelling of Oakie.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Oakie. One such figure was Oakie of Warrington (c. 1350-1420), a renowned English archer who fought in the Hundred Years' War and is said to have participated in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
Another significant figure was Oakie Longfellow (1590-1657), an English Puritan settler who arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630. He is credited with establishing one of the first settlements in what is now the state of Massachusetts.
In the realm of literature, Oakie Pendragon (1820-1892) was a British poet and playwright known for his romantic verse and historical dramas. His most famous work, "The Quest for Avalon," explored the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Oakie Whitfield (1878-1949) was a pioneering American aviator who made significant contributions to the development of early aircraft design. He is credited with designing and building one of the first successful monoplanes in the United States.
Lastly, Oakie Norris (1912-2002) was a renowned American jazz musician and composer. He was a virtuoso saxophonist known for his innovative improvisation techniques and influential recordings with various big bands and ensembles.
While the name Oakie has become less common in modern times, its historical significance and connection to nature and the oak tree continue to resonate, serving as a reminder of the rich tapestry of cultural heritage woven into the names we bear.
People
Oakie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oakie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Oakie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oakie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oakie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Oakie a common name?
We classify Oakie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oakie most popular?
The single biggest year for Oakie was 1920, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oakie is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Oakie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oakie a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Oakie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Oakie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oakie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Oakie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Oakie?
Want to know how many people share the name Oakie? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.