Odas
Of Greek origin, meaning "to sing" or "song".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Odas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Odas today is around 90 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Odas births was 1917 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Odas. 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 Odas is about 90 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Odas' were born before 1946.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Odas. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1917
10 babies that year
Average age
90
years old
1941 SSA rank
#2,604
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Odas: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Odas from the 1910s through to the 1940s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 64 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Odas 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 Odas 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 Odas
The name Odas finds its origins in ancient Greece, stemming from the Greek word "odas," which means "journey" or "path." This name first emerged during the classical period of Greek civilization, circa 500 BC to 300 BC.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Odas can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned an Athenian general named Odas who fought in the Greco-Persian Wars of the 5th century BC.
In Greek mythology, Odas was also the name of a minor deity associated with travel and exploration. He was often depicted as a young man carrying a staff and a bundle, symbolizing the journey and the belongings one would carry.
During the Hellenistic period, which spanned from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to the emergence of the Roman Empire, the name Odas was relatively popular among the Greek-speaking populations of the Mediterranean region.
One notable figure from this era was Odas of Tralles, a philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 2nd century BC. He is credited with contributing to the development of geometry and was a contemporary of the famous mathematician Euclid.
Fast forward to the Byzantine Empire, which ruled over the Eastern Mediterranean from the 4th to the 15th century AD, and we find Odas Niketiates, a prominent military commander who played a crucial role in the wars against the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century.
In the realm of literature, Odas Porphyrogennetos was a 10th-century Byzantine scholar and writer who authored several works on history and philosophy. He was born in 950 AD and lived during the reign of the Macedonian dynasty.
Jumping ahead to the 16th century, we encounter Odas Kyprios, a Cypriot poet and playwright who made significant contributions to the development of early modern Greek literature. He was born in 1520 and is renowned for his works that explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the name Odas, which has its roots deeply embedded in the rich cultural tapestry of ancient Greece and the broader Mediterranean region.
People
Odas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Odas 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
Odas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Odas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Odas 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Odas a common name?
We classify Odas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 148 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Odas most popular?
The single biggest year for Odas was 1917, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Odas is about 90 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 Odas in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Odas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Odas 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 Odas still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Odas 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 Odas 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 are called Odas?
You can see how many Americans are named Odas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.