Oniel
Hebrew name meaning "strength and determination of God."
Name Census estimates that about 216 living Americans carry the first name Oniel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Oniel today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Oniel births was 1993 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Oniel. 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.
People living today
216
~ 1 in 1,586,826 Americans
Peak year
1993
13 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,599
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Oniel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Oniel from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 64 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Oniel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oniel 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 Oniel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Oniels live
Origin
Meaning and history of Oniel
The given name Oniel has its roots in the ancient Semitic languages of the Middle East. Derived from the Hebrew name "Anial," it is believed to have originated during the biblical era, though its precise origin is uncertain. The name is thought to be a variation of "Onel," which means "strength of God" or "strength from God" in Hebrew.
In ancient texts, the name Oniel is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It is recorded as the name of a son of Reuben, one of the twelve tribes of Israel. This early reference suggests that the name has been in use for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Israelite culture.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Oniel was Oniel ben Shlomo, a prominent Jewish scholar and philosopher who lived in the 11th century. He was known for his contributions to the field of Jewish mysticism and his interpretations of the Kabbalah.
In the 16th century, Oniel Algarizin was a renowned Spanish poet and writer. He was born in Seville in 1510 and is best known for his work "Cancionero," a collection of poems that celebrated the beauty of his homeland and explored themes of love and spirituality.
During the 17th century, Oniel Vanderhoeven was a Dutch painter and engraver. Born in Amsterdam in 1630, he was renowned for his landscape paintings and etchings that captured the beauty of the Dutch countryside.
In the 19th century, Oniel Gómez was a Mexican military leader and politician. Born in 1805, he played a significant role in the Mexican-American War and later served as the governor of the state of Puebla.
Another notable figure with the name Oniel was Oniel Parchment, a Jamaican sprinter and Olympic medalist. Born in 1985, he won the silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, contributing to Jamaica's rich athletic tradition.
While the name Oniel has its ancient roots, it has remained relatively uncommon throughout history. However, its connection to the Biblical era and its meaning of "strength from God" have given it a sense of reverence and significance, particularly among those of Semitic and Abrahamic faith traditions.
People
Oniel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Oniel 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
Oniel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Oniel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 216 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Oniel 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 1,586,826 US residents.
Is Oniel a common name?
We classify Oniel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 246 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Oniel most popular?
The single biggest year for Oniel was 1993, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Oniel is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Oniel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Oniel 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.
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.