Osamah
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "young lion".
Name Census estimates that about 98 living Americans carry the first name Osamah. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Osamah today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Osamah births was 1998 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Osamah. 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 Osamah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
98
~ 1 in 3,497,493 Americans
Peak year
1998
13 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2001 SSA rank
#10,193
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Osamah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Osamah from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 60 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Osamah 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 Osamah 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 Osamah
The given name Osamah originates from the Arabic language and culture, with its earliest known usage dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic root word "samah," which means "lofty" or "sublime." The name Osamah is believed to have been popularized during the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, although its exact origins are unclear.
One of the earliest and most famous historical figures to bear the name Osamah was Osamah ibn Zayd (c. 612-674 CE), a companion of the prophet Muhammad and a renowned military leader. He is remembered for leading a significant military expedition against the Byzantine Empire in the year 635 CE.
Another notable figure was Osamah ibn Munqidh (1095-1188 CE), a Syrian poet, author, and warrior who wrote an autobiographical work titled "Kitab al-I'tibar" (Book of Learning by Example), which provided valuable insights into the life and culture of the Crusades era.
In the field of science and mathematics, Osamah ibn Munqidh al-Kindi (c. 801-873 CE) was an influential Arab philosopher, mathematician, and scientist who made significant contributions to the fields of optics, medicine, and philosophy.
During the Abbasid Caliphate, Osamah ibn Nasr al-Nami (c. 815-900 CE) was a renowned Arabic poet and literary figure who wrote extensively on themes of love, nature, and society.
More recently, Osamah Ghanim (1919-1982) was an Egyptian writer, journalist, and political activist who played a prominent role in the Arab nationalist movement and the struggle for Palestinian rights.
It is important to note that while the name Osamah has a rich historical legacy, its modern usage and associations may have been influenced by more recent events and individuals. However, this detailed report focuses solely on the historical origins and notable bearers of the first name Osamah throughout various eras and regions.
People
Osamah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Osamah 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
Osamah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Osamah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 98 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Osamah 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 3,497,493 US residents.
Is Osamah a common name?
We classify Osamah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 101 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Osamah most popular?
The single biggest year for Osamah was 1998, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Osamah is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Osamah a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Osamah 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.