Odessey
An epic journey or adventure, often with many trials or obstacles.
Name Census estimates that about 24 living Americans carry the first name Odessey. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Odessey today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Odessey births was 2000 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Odessey. 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 Odessey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
24
~ 1 in 14,281,431 Americans
Peak year
2000
9 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2002 SSA rank
#17,415
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Odessey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Odessey from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 14 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Odessey 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 Odessey 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 Odessey
The given name Odessey is derived from the ancient Greek epic poem "The Odyssey" by Homer, which recounts the journey of the Greek hero Odysseus. The name reflects the adventurous spirit and the challenges faced during a long and arduous journey.
Odessey can be considered a variant spelling of the word "odyssey," which has its roots in the Greek word "Odusseia." The poem itself is believed to have been composed around the 8th century BC and is considered one of the oldest and most influential works of Western literature.
In ancient Greek mythology, Odysseus was the king of Ithaca who fought in the Trojan War. After the fall of Troy, he embarked on a perilous journey home, facing numerous obstacles and adventures along the way. His name, Odysseus, is closely tied to the concept of an odyssey, which has become synonymous with an epic journey or adventure.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Odessey can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek poet Callimachus, who lived in the 3rd century BC. He referred to the poem as "Odusseia," which is the Ionic Greek dialect form of the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Odessey or its variants. One such person was Odessey Vesprit (1751-1825), a French philosopher and writer known for his contributions to the Enlightenment movement. Another was Odessey Hawkins (1892-1963), an American jazz pianist and composer who played a significant role in the development of stride piano.
In literature, one of the most famous characters with this name is Odessey Bloom, the protagonist of James Joyce's novel "Ulysses," published in 1922. The novel is a modern retelling of Homer's epic, with Odessey Bloom representing the modern equivalent of Odysseus.
Another notable figure was Odessey J. Sanchez (1920-2001), an American civil rights activist and lawyer who played a crucial role in the desegregation of public schools in California. He was a prominent figure in the Mexican-American community and fought tirelessly for equal rights and opportunities.
Lastly, in the realm of sports, Odessey Thurman (born 1982) is a former professional basketball player who played in the NBA for several teams, including the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers.
People
Odessey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Odessey 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
Odessey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Odessey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 24 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Odessey 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 14,281,431 US residents.
Is Odessey a common name?
We classify Odessey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 43% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Odessey most popular?
The single biggest year for Odessey was 2000, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Odessey is about 28 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 Odessey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Odessey a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Odessey 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 Odessey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Odessey 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 Odessey 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 Odessey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.