Odesser
Of Germanic origin, meaning "someone from the city of Odessa".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Odesser. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Odesser today is around 95 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Odesser births was 1916 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Odesser. 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 Odesser is about 95 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Odessers were born before 1941.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Odesser. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1916
11 babies that year
Average age
95
years old
1942 SSA rank
#5,176
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Odesser: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Odesser 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 87 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
Odesser 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 Odesser during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Odessers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Odesser
The name Odesser is believed to have originated from the Old Prussian language, which was spoken by the Prussian people in what is now modern-day Poland and parts of Russia. The name is thought to be derived from the Old Prussian word "audese," which translates to "fortunate" or "blessed." This suggests that the name was given to children as a way of wishing them good luck and prosperity in life.
Odesser is a relatively rare name, and historical records of its use are scarce. However, it is known that the name was in use among the Prussian people as early as the 12th century, when they were still a pagan society. After the Prussians were conquered by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century and converted to Christianity, the name may have fallen out of favor due to its pagan roots.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Odesser can be found in the Prussian Chronicles, a collection of historical documents written in the 16th century. In these chronicles, there is a mention of an individual named Odesser von Ragnit, who was a local chieftain in the region of Ragnit (now Neman, Russia) during the 13th century.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Odesser was Odesser Hartmann, a German philosopher and theologian who lived in the late 16th century. Hartmann was born in Prussia in 1549 and is known for his writings on metaphysics and the nature of the soul.
In the 18th century, there was a Prussian military officer named Odesser von Manstein, who served in the army of Frederick the Great. Von Manstein participated in several battles during the Seven Years' War and is said to have distinguished himself as a skilled tactician.
Moving forward to the 19th century, there was an artist named Odesser Grabenhorst who was known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from his native Prussia. Grabenhorst was born in 1812 and is considered one of the pioneers of the Prussian landscape painting tradition.
Finally, in the early 20th century, there was a German writer and poet named Odesser Keller, who was born in 1892 in East Prussia (now part of Poland). Keller is best known for his works that explored the themes of nature and the rural life of the Prussian people.
While the name Odesser may not be as common today as it once was, its historical significance lies in its connection to the Prussian culture and language, which played a significant role in the history of Central and Eastern Europe.
People
Odesser + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Odesser 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
Odesser: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Odesser?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Odesser 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 Odesser a common name?
We classify Odesser 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, 169 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Odesser most popular?
The single biggest year for Odesser was 1916, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Odesser is about 95 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 Odesser in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Odesser a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Odesser 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 Odesser still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Odesser 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 Odesser 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 share the name Odesser?
You can see how many people have the name Odesser on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.