Oberon
A masculine name of English origin from the myth of Oberon, king of the fairies.
Name Census estimates that about 264 living Americans carry the first name Oberon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Oberon today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oberon births was 2021 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oberon. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Oberon with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
264
~ 1 in 1,298,312 Americans
Peak year
2021
37 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,744
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Oberon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oberon from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 132 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oberon 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 Oberon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Oberons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Oberon
The name Oberon has its origins in the medieval French romance poem Le Roman de la Rose, written in the 13th century by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun. It was derived from the French name Auberon, which itself was based on the Old French albere, meaning "elf king" or "dwarf king."
The name Oberon first gained prominence in the 16th century, when it was used by William Shakespeare in his play A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595-96). In the play, Oberon is the king of the fairies and is depicted as a powerful and mischievous figure who rules over the natural world.
Prior to Shakespeare's use of the name, there are few recorded instances of it being used as a given name. However, the character of Oberon has its roots in medieval European folklore and mythology, where he was often portrayed as a trickster figure or a ruler of the fairy realm.
One of the earliest known references to Oberon as a name comes from the German epic poem Das Lied vom Hürnen Seyfrid (The Song of the Horned Siegfried), written in the 13th century. In this poem, Oberon is depicted as a dwarf king who helps the hero Siegfried on his quest.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Oberon. These include Oberon Gaitskel (1615-1687), an English Puritan minister and writer; Oberon Lenoble (1618-1694), a French painter and engraver; and Oberon Vick (1845-1923), an American politician and businessman.
In the realm of literature, the name Oberon has been used by various authors, including Edmund Spenser in his epic poem The Faerie Queene (1590-96), and Ben Jonson in his masque Oberon, the Faery Prince (1611).
Other notable individuals named Oberon include Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (born 1942), an American Neopagan leader and author; and Oberon Sexton (born 1953), an American actor and musician.
While the name Oberon is not as common as some other names, it has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in literary and artistic circles, where its association with fairy lore and mythology has made it a popular choice.
People
Oberon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oberon 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
Oberon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oberon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 264 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oberon 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 1,298,312 US residents.
Is Oberon a common name?
We classify Oberon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 266 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oberon most popular?
The single biggest year for Oberon was 2021, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oberon is about 7 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 Oberon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oberon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oberon in the SSA data are male. 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 Oberon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oberon 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 Oberon 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 Oberon?
Find out how many Americans are named Oberon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.