Osborn
Germanic name meaning "divine bear" or "bear power".
Name Census estimates that about 216 living Americans carry the first name Osborn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Osborn today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Osborn births was 1923 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Osborn. 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
1923
22 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,604
Tracked since 1884
Popularity
Osborn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Osborn from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 133 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Osborn 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 Osborn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Osborns live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Mississippi, New York recorded the most babies named Osborn, while New York, Mississippi, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Osborn
The name Osborn is an English name that originated in the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English words "os" meaning "divine" and "beorn" meaning "bear." The name was initially used to denote a person of divine strength or power, akin to a bear.
The earliest known record of the name Osborn dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Osbernus." This early spelling variation highlights the name's linguistic roots and its evolution over time.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Osborn was Osborn of Canterbury, a 12th-century English Benedictine monk and historian. He is known for his work "De Vita et Miraculis Sancti Dunstani" (The Life and Miracles of St. Dunstan), which chronicled the life of the Archbishop of Canterbury, St. Dunstan.
In the 13th century, Osborn de Solli (c. 1200-1268) was an English nobleman and landowner from Somerset. He played a significant role in the Baron's War against King Henry III, fighting alongside Simon de Montfort.
During the Renaissance period, Osborn Wyddel (c. 1520-1595) was an Irish astronomer and mathematician. He is credited with translating the works of Ptolemy and other ancient Greek astronomers into English, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the 16th century.
In the 17th century, Osborn Drighouse (1609-1669) was an English clergyman and theologian. He served as the Archdeacon of Lewes and authored several religious works, including "A Summary View of the Holy Bible."
Osborn Russell (1833-1920) was a prominent American fur trader, entrepreneur, and wilderness explorer in the 19th century. He is known for his expeditions into the Rocky Mountains and his contributions to the development of the American West.
Throughout history, the name Osborn has maintained its association with strength, divinity, and intellectual pursuits. While it has evolved in spelling and pronunciation, its roots remain deeply intertwined with the rich cultural and linguistic heritage of the Anglo-Saxon period.
People
Osborn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Osborn 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
Osborn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Osborn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 216 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Osborn 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 Osborn a common name?
We classify Osborn 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, 597 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Osborn most popular?
The single biggest year for Osborn was 1923, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Osborn is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Osborn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Osborn 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.