Odene
An Old French name denoting someone who resides near an oak tree.
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Odene. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 87.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Odene today is around 99 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Odene births was 1919 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Odene. 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 Odene is about 99 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Odenes were born before 1937.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Odene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1919
8 babies that year
Average age
99
years old
1922 SSA rank
#4,782
Tracked since 1918
Gender
Gender distribution for Odene
Odene leans heavily female at 87.8% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Odene as a male name
- Ranked #4,782 in 1922
- 5 male births in 1922
- Peak: 1922 (5 births)
Odene as a female name
- Ranked #5,073 in 1930
- 5 female births in 1930
- Peak: 1919 (8 births)
Popularity
Odene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Odene 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 22 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
Odene 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 Odene 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 Odene
The name Odene is believed to have originated from the Old English language, with roots tracing back to the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, dating from around the 5th to the 11th century AD. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "ode," which means "wealth" or "prosperity," combined with the suffix "-ne," which was a common ending for feminine names during that era.
While the exact origins of the name are not entirely clear, some scholars suggest that it may have been influenced by the Old Norse name "Audun," which has a similar sound and meaning. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this connection, and the name is generally considered to be distinctly English in its origins.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Odene can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was already in use among the Anglo-Saxon population at that time.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Odene remained relatively uncommon, but it continued to be used in various regions of England. One notable bearer of the name was Odene of Deerhurst, a 12th-century noblewoman who was known for her philanthropic work and her support of the church.
In the 16th century, the name gained some prominence with the birth of Odene Lisle (1523-1567), a member of the English gentry who was involved in a famous legal dispute over inheritance rights. This case helped to establish important precedents in English property law.
Another notable figure in history was Odene Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), an English writer and philosopher who is considered one of the pioneers of the women's rights movement. Her work, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," published in 1792, was a groundbreaking treatise that challenged the prevailing attitudes towards women's education and social status.
In the 19th century, the name Odene was associated with Odene Nightingale (1820-1910), a British social reformer and statistician who played a significant role in the development of modern nursing practices. She worked closely with Florence Nightingale, her more famous cousin, and helped to establish training programs for nurses.
While the name Odene has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by a diverse range of individuals from various walks of life, from noblewomen to writers, philosophers, and social reformers. Despite its ancient roots, the name continues to maintain a sense of uniqueness and historical significance.
People
Odene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Odene 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
Odene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Odene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Odene 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 Odene a common name?
We classify Odene 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, 41 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Odene most popular?
The single biggest year for Odene was 1919, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Odene is about 99 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 Odene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Odene a female name?
Yes, 87.8% of people registered as Odene 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 Odene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Odene 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 Odene 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 Americans are named Odene?
See how many people share the name Odene on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.