Osborne
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "divine power".
Name Census estimates that about 696 living Americans carry the first name Osborne. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Osborne today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Osborne births was 1915 (47 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Osborne. 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
696
~ 1 in 492,463 Americans
Peak year
1915
47 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,367
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Osborne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Osborne from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 314 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
Osborne 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 Osborne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Osbornes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. North Carolina, Virginia, Mississippi recorded the most babies named Osborne, while Maryland, Georgia, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Osborne
The name Osborne is of English origin and dates back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is derived from the Old English words "os," meaning "ox," and "burne," meaning "stream" or "brook." This combination suggests that the name may have originated as a topographic name, referring to a location where oxen were watered.
Records indicate that the name Osborne was first used as a surname in the 11th century, during the reign of William the Conqueror. It is believed that the name was initially borne by families who lived near a stream or brook where oxen were tended.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Osborne appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is mentioned in connection with various landholdings in several counties, including Dorset and Somerset.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Osborne was primarily associated with noble families and landowners in England. Notable individuals bearing the name during this period include Sir Peter Osborne, who served as Lord Chancellor of England in the 14th century, and Sir John Osborne, a prominent military commander during the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century.
During the Renaissance and Early Modern periods, the name Osborne continued to be associated with influential families and individuals. One of the most famous bearers of the name was Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds (1632-1712), who served as Lord High Treasurer and Lord President of the Council under King Charles II and King William III.
In the 18th century, the name Osborne gained literary significance with the poet and playwright John Osborne (1723-1789), who is best known for his satirical works and his collaboration with Samuel Johnson on the play "The Jealous Wife."
Another notable figure with the name Osborne was Ralph Osborne (1808-1890), a British diplomat and author who served as the first British Consul-General in Japan and wrote extensively about his experiences in the country.
In the 19th century, the name Osborne was associated with the British royal family through Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, whose full name was Francis Albert Augustus Charles Emmanuel, Prince Consort of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The couple named one of their residences Osborne House, located on the Isle of Wight, in honor of Prince Albert's family name.
Other notable individuals with the name Osborne include the American architect Thomas Osborne (1859-1926), who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, and the British actor Sir Laurence Osborne (1889-1951), who starred in numerous films and stage productions during the early 20th century.
People
Osborne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Osborne 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
Osborne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Osborne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 696 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Osborne 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 492,463 US residents.
Is Osborne a common name?
We classify Osborne as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,731 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Osborne most popular?
The single biggest year for Osborne was 1915, when 47 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Osborne is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Osborne a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Osborne 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.