Oceola
A name with uncertainty around its origin or meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Oceola. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Oceola today is around 59 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oceola births was 1926 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oceola. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Oceola. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1926
6 babies that year
Average age
59
years old
1931 SSA rank
#4,805
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Oceola: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oceola from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Oceola remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oceola 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 Oceola 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 Oceola
The name Oceola has its origins traced back to the Native American Seminole tribe, particularly in the region of Florida during the early 19th century. It is believed to be derived from the Muskogee language word "Asi Yaholo," which translates to "Black Drink Singer" or "Black Drink Cry." The Black Drink was a ceremonial tea consumed by the Seminoles and other Southeastern tribes.
One of the earliest and most famous bearers of the name Oceola was the Seminole leader and warrior Oceola (c. 1804-1838). He played a pivotal role in leading the Seminoles during the Second Seminole War against the United States, from 1835 to 1842. Oceola's resistance and tactical brilliance earned him a reputation as a skilled and formidable opponent, and he became a symbol of the Seminole struggle to maintain their land and autonomy.
Beyond the legendary Seminole leader, other notable individuals who carried the name Oceola throughout history include Oceola Silas Call (1849-1927), a prominent lawyer and politician from Florida who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate in the late 19th century. Another bearer of the name was Oceola Trice (1868-1947), an African American educator and activist from Florida who founded the Trice Academy, one of the first schools for Black children in the state.
The name Oceola also appeared in literary works, such as the 1858 novel "Oceola" by Benjamin Drake, which chronicled the life and exploits of the Seminole leader. Additionally, Oceola was the name given to a character in the 1856 play "Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags" by John Augustus Stone III, which depicted the struggles of Native Americans against European colonization.
Another significant bearer of the name was Oceola Brackett (1845-1931), a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation who was involved in preserving Native American culture and traditions. She worked as an interpreter and translator, helping to document and preserve the Creek language and history.
While the name Oceola has its roots in Native American culture and history, it has also been adopted and used by individuals from various backgrounds over the centuries, serving as a unique and meaningful name with a rich historical significance.
People
Oceola + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oceola 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
Oceola: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oceola?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oceola 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 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Oceola a common name?
We classify Oceola as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oceola most popular?
The single biggest year for Oceola was 1926, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oceola is about 59 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 Oceola in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Oceola a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oceola 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 Oceola still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Oceola 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 Oceola 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 have the name Oceola?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Oceola on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.