Onni
A Finnish masculine name meaning "good fortune" or "happiness".
Name Census estimates that about 47 living Americans carry the first name Onni. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Onni today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Onni births was 2017 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Onni. 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 Onni with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Onni. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
47
~ 1 in 7,292,645 Americans
Peak year
2017
8 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,600
Tracked since 1913
Popularity
Onni: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Onni from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 34 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
Onni 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 Onni 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 Onni
The name Onni originates from the Finnish language and has its roots in the word "onni," which means "luck" or "fortune." This name has been in use since the Middle Ages in Finland and other Scandinavian countries.
It is believed that the name Onni was derived from the Old Norse word "auðna," which also means "luck" or "good fortune." The name may have been given to children as a way to wish them a prosperous and fortunate life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Onni can be found in the medieval Kalevala, the national epic of Finland. In this epic poem, Onni is mentioned as the personification of good luck and fortune.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Onni. One of the most famous was Onni Okkonen (1899-1988), a Finnish artist and painter known for his landscapes and depictions of Finnish rural life.
Another prominent figure was Onni Pellikka (1900-1992), a Finnish long-distance runner who won the gold medal in the 10,000 meters event at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Onni Kokko (1899-1967) was a Finnish writer and poet who is considered one of the pioneers of modern Finnish literature. His works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
Onni Sihvonen (1905-1996) was a Finnish cross-country skier who won two gold medals at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
Onni Nikula (1899-1984) was a Finnish architect and designer who played a significant role in shaping the modernist architectural style in Finland during the mid-20th century.
While the name Onni has its origins in Finnish culture, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, particularly in Scandinavia and other Nordic countries, as well as in some English-speaking regions.
People
Onni + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Onni 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
Onni: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Onni?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 47 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Onni 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 7,292,645 US residents.
Is Onni a common name?
We classify Onni as "Very Rare". It ranks above 53.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 79 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Onni most popular?
The single biggest year for Onni was 2017, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Onni is about 7 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 Onni in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Onni a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Onni 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 Onni still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Onni 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 Onni 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 common is the name Onni?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.