Odel
An uncommon name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 33 living Americans carry the first name Odel. It is a predominantly male name (97.3% of registrations). The average person named Odel today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Odel births was 1925 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Odel. 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 Odel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
33
~ 1 in 10,386,495 Americans
Peak year
1925
14 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2016 SSA rank
#9,445
Tracked since 1914
Gender
Gender distribution for Odel
Odel leans heavily male at 97.3% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Odel as a male name
- Ranked #9,445 in 2016
- 8 male births in 2016
- Peak: 1925 (14 births)
Odel as a female name
- Ranked #18,572 in 2013
- 5 female births in 2013
- Peak: 2013 (5 births)
Popularity
Odel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Odel from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 67 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
Odel 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 Odel 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 Odel
The name Odel has its origins in the Old Germanic language, tracing back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the root word "od," which means "prosperity" or "wealth." This name was commonly used among the Germanic tribes that inhabited regions of modern-day Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of Scandinavia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Odel can be found in the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century manuscript containing a translation of the Bible into the Gothic language. In this text, the name appears as "Odil," referring to a minor character.
During the Middle Ages, the name Odel gained popularity among the Germanic nobility. It was borne by several noblemen and knights, including Odel von Regensburg (1120-1187), a German nobleman and military leader who participated in the Crusades.
In the 16th century, the name Odel appeared in the writings of the German philosopher and theologian, Martin Luther. He mentioned an individual named Odel Sauerbeck in one of his treatises on religious reformation.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Odell, Odelle, and Odellius. One notable figure from this period was Odellius Philalethes (1570-1638), an alchemist and philosopher from England.
In the 19th century, the name Odel gained prominence in literature. Odel Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) was an English novelist and playwright, best known for his historical novel "The Last Days of Pompeii."
Other notable individuals with the name Odel include Odel Deodatus (1842-1912), a French painter and sculptor, and Odel Vierling (1888-1962), a German composer and conductor.
Overall, while not a widely used name today, Odel has a rich historical legacy spanning various cultures and disciplines, reflecting its Germanic roots and association with prosperity and wealth.
People
Odel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Odel 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
Odel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Odel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 33 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Odel 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 10,386,495 US residents.
Is Odel a common name?
We classify Odel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 186 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Odel most popular?
The single biggest year for Odel was 1925, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Odel is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Odel a male name?
Yes, 97.3% of people registered as Odel 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.
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.