Ojas
An Indian spiritual term referring to vigor, vitality, or radiance.
Name Census estimates that about 595 living Americans carry the first name Ojas. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ojas today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ojas births was 2022 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ojas. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ojas with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
595
~ 1 in 576,058 Americans
Peak year
2022
43 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,026
Tracked since 1999
Census
Ojas in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 588 people with the first name Ojas, which placed it at #18,347 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#18,347
National first-name rank
People counted
588
588 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ojas
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ojas is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and Hispanic (1.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Ojas described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Ojas at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.4% · 561
- Two or more races1.4% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 7
- White0.9% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Popularity
Ojas: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ojas from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 255 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ojas remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ojas 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 Ojas during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ojas' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Ojas, while Washington, Michigan, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ojas
The name Ojas is of Sanskrit origin and has been in use for centuries in various parts of India and the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "ojas," meaning vigor, vitality, or strength. The name is closely associated with the concept of life force or spiritual energy in Hindu philosophy and Ayurvedic traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ojas can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures, such as the Upanishads and the Vedas, which date back to the 1st millennium BCE. In these texts, the term "ojas" is frequently used to describe the essence of life, the vital energy that sustains the body and mind.
In the epic Sanskrit poem Mahabharata, composed between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE, there are references to the concept of "ojas" and its importance in maintaining physical and mental well-being. The text highlights the significance of preserving and cultivating one's "ojas" through various spiritual practices and a balanced lifestyle.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ojas. One of the earliest recorded figures is Ojas Pandita, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and philosopher from the 11th century CE. He was known for his extensive knowledge of the Vedas and his contributions to the field of Hindu philosophy.
In the 16th century, Ojas Malla was a prominent ruler of the Malla dynasty in Nepal. He is credited with the construction of several temples and monuments in the Kathmandu Valley, including the iconic Patan Durbar Square, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During the 18th century, Ojas Chandra Vidyaratna was a celebrated Bengali scholar and linguist. He authored several works on grammar, poetry, and literature, and his contributions significantly influenced the development of the Bengali language and literary tradition.
In the 20th century, Ojas Vijay was an Indian freedom fighter and social activist. He played a crucial role in the Indian independence movement and worked tirelessly to promote education and social reform, particularly in rural areas of Maharashtra.
Another notable figure is Ojas Desai, an acclaimed Indian classical dancer and choreographer born in 1939. He is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern Kathak dance and has received numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the art form.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Ojas throughout history, each making significant contributions in their respective fields and leaving a lasting impact on their communities and societies.
People
Ojas + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ojas 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
Ojas: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ojas?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 595 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ojas 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 576,058 US residents.
Is Ojas a common name?
We classify Ojas as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 600 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ojas most popular?
The single biggest year for Ojas was 2022, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ojas is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ojas in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 588 people with the name Ojas, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,347 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Ojas in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ojas?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ojas leans strongly male. 572 people counted with this name were male (97.8%), compared with 13 female bearers (2.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ojas?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ojas is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.4%) and Hispanic (1.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Ojas most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Ojas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (561 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Ojas in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ojas a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ojas 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.
Is Ojas still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ojas 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 Ojas 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.
How many Americans are named Ojas?
See how many Americans are named Ojas on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.