Onelia
A feminine Latin name derived from the Greek word meaning "fruitful, fertile".
Name Census estimates that about 31 living Americans carry the first name Onelia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Onelia today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Onelia births was 1916 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Onelia. 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 Onelia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
31
~ 1 in 11,056,592 Americans
Peak year
1916
12 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
2022 SSA rank
#17,133
Tracked since 1897
Popularity
Onelia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Onelia from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 47 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Onelia 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 Onelia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Onelias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Onelia
The name Onelia is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the ancient Greek word "όνειρος" (oneiros), which means "dream." It is believed to have emerged during the Classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th century BC.
The name Onelia was likely inspired by the Greek mythological figure of Oneiros, the personification of dreams in Greek mythology. In the ancient texts, Oneiros was depicted as a winged deity who could take on various forms and would appear to mortals in their dreams, carrying messages from the gods.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Onelia can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek dramatist Aeschylus, who lived from 525 BC to 456 BC. In his play "Agamemnon," Aeschylus mentions a character named Onelia, suggesting that the name was in use during that time period.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Onelia. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Onelia of Crete (c. 230 BC - c. 190 BC), a philosopher and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of geometry and the theory of proportions.
Another historical figure was Onelia Fortunata (c. 60 AD - c. 130 AD), a Roman poet and writer who gained recognition for her poetic works and philosophical writings during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian.
In the Middle Ages, Onelia de Montfort (c. 1190 - c. 1260) was a French noblewoman and crusader who accompanied her husband, Simon de Montfort, on the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars in southern France.
During the Renaissance period, Onelia Palladio (c. 1508 - c. 1580) was an Italian architect and scholar who collaborated with the renowned architect Andrea Palladio and contributed to the design of several notable buildings in Vicenza, Italy.
More recently, Onelia Zenevska (1920 - 2011) was a Bulgarian actress and theater director who played a significant role in the development of modern theater in Bulgaria during the 20th century.
While the name Onelia has its roots in ancient Greek culture, it has transcended its origins and has been used by individuals across various cultures and time periods, each adding their unique contribution to the rich tapestry of history associated with this name.
People
Onelia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Onelia 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
Onelia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Onelia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 31 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Onelia 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 11,056,592 US residents.
Is Onelia a common name?
We classify Onelia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 47% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 139 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Onelia most popular?
The single biggest year for Onelia was 1916, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Onelia is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Onelia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Onelia 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.
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.