Oden
Masculine Japanese name literally meaning "great protector" or "leading rice planter".
Name Census estimates that about 1,323 living Americans carry the first name Oden. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Oden today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oden births was 2022 (102 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oden. 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
- • Oden is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 259,074 Americans
Peak year
2022
102 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,221
Tracked since 1912
Popularity
Oden: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oden from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 653 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Oden remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oden 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 Oden during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Odens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. California, Texas, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Oden, while Oregon, Illinois, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 19 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Oden
The given name Oden has its origins in Old Norse, the language spoken by the Vikings and other Scandinavian peoples in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse word "óðinn," which was the name of the supreme deity in Norse mythology. Óðinn was the god of war, wisdom, poetry, and magic in the Norse pantheon.
The name Oden is closely associated with Norse mythology and the rich storytelling traditions of the Vikings. It is believed to have emerged as a personal name in the Viking Age, between the late 8th and the late 11th centuries. Oden was a revered figure in Norse culture, and it is likely that parents chose to name their sons after him as a way to imbue them with the god's qualities of strength, intelligence, and leadership.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Oden can be found in the Poetic Edda, a collection of Old Norse poems compiled in the 13th century. The Edda contains numerous references to Óðinn and his exploits, solidifying his importance in Norse mythology and demonstrating the prevalence of his name among the Scandinavian peoples.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Oden. One of the most famous was Oden, King of Sweden, who ruled from around 680 to 700 AD. He is regarded as a semi-legendary figure, and his reign is often associated with the Christianization of Sweden.
Another notable Oden was Oden of Saxony (1070-1137), a German nobleman and warrior who fought alongside Emperor Henry V during the Investiture Controversy, a power struggle between the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope over the right to appoint bishops and abbots.
In the realm of literature, Oden was the name of a character in the epic poem "Beowulf," one of the most important works of Old English literature. Oden was a Danish warrior who fought alongside the hero Beowulf in his battles against monsters and dragons.
In the field of exploration, Oden was the name of a Norwegian explorer and whaler who led several expeditions to the Arctic regions in the late 19th century. Oden Jørgensen (1834-1901) is known for his contributions to the mapping and exploration of the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
Lastly, Oden was the given name of Oden Salomonsen (1919-2006), a Danish artist and sculptor renowned for his abstract and modernist works. His sculptures and installations can be found in various public spaces throughout Denmark and other parts of Europe.
People
Oden + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oden 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
Oden: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oden?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,323 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oden 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 259,074 US residents.
Is Oden a common name?
We classify Oden as "Rare". It ranks above 91.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,499 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oden most popular?
The single biggest year for Oden was 2022, when 102 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oden is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Oden a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oden 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.