Odena
A feminine name of Native American Sioux origin meaning "to wander".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Odena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Odena today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Odena births was 1921 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Odena. 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 Odena is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Odenas were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Odena. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1921
13 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1945 SSA rank
#4,403
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Odena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Odena 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 46 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
Odena 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 Odena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Odenas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Odena
The name Odena has its origins in the ancient Basque language, spoken in the Pyrenees region of northern Spain and southern France. The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 6th century AD, derived from the Basque words "ode" meaning "honor" and "na" meaning "mine" or "my."
In the medieval period, the name Odena was particularly popular among the Basque nobility and upper classes. It appeared in several historical records and documents from the region, such as the Codex Aemilianensis, a 10th-century cartulary from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the name Odena was Odena Velázquez, a Basque noblewoman who lived in the late 9th century. She was renowned for her patronage of the arts and her support for the construction of several churches and monasteries in the region.
In the 11th century, Odena de Navarra, a princess of the Kingdom of Navarre, played a significant role in the political and cultural life of the Iberian Peninsula. She was known for her diplomatic skills and her efforts to promote peace between the various Christian and Muslim kingdoms of the time.
The name Odena also found its way into the literary tradition of the Basque people. In the 13th-century epic poem "Cantar de Odena," the protagonist Odena is portrayed as a brave and noble warrior who fought against invading forces to defend her homeland.
Another notable figure with the name Odena was Odena Díaz de Haro, a 14th-century Basque noblewoman who served as the Lady of Biscay, a powerful feudal territory in northern Spain. She was influential in the political affairs of the region and played a key role in negotiating alliances and treaties between various noble houses.
Despite its ancient roots and historical significance, the name Odena has become relatively uncommon in modern times, although it continues to be used in some Basque-speaking communities as a testament to their cultural heritage and traditions.
People
Odena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Odena 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
Odena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Odena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Odena 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Odena a common name?
We classify Odena as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 97 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Odena most popular?
The single biggest year for Odena was 1921, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Odena is about 88 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 Odena in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Odena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Odena 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 Odena still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Odena 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 Odena 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 Odena as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Odena on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.