Osciel
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "lion of God".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Osciel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Osciel today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Osciel births was 2008 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Osciel. 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 Osciel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2008
5 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2008 SSA rank
#14,069
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Osciel: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Osciel 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 Osciel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Osciel
The name Osciel appears to have its origins in ancient Hebrew and Aramaic languages. It is believed to be a variation of the name Hosea, which means "salvation" or "deliverance". The name Osciel is thought to have a similar meaning, although its exact etymology is unclear.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Osciel can be found in the Apocryphal book of Sirach, also known as Ecclesiasticus, which dates back to around 200 BCE. The book mentions an individual named Osciel, who is described as a wise and respected figure in ancient Jewish society.
During the Middle Ages, the name Osciel was relatively uncommon, but it did appear in some historical records and chronicles. In the 12th century, there was a French monk named Osciel de Montpellier, who was known for his knowledge of herbal medicine and his work in establishing one of the earliest medical schools in Europe.
In the 16th century, an Italian painter named Osciel Veronese gained recognition for his religious and mythological works. Some of his notable paintings can still be found in churches and galleries across Italy.
In the 19th century, a German composer named Osciel Breithaupt made a name for himself with his piano compositions and orchestral works. He was born in 1817 and lived until 1892.
Another notable figure with the name Osciel was Osciel Rodriguez, a Cuban revolutionary who fought alongside Fidel Castro and Che Guevara in the Cuban Revolution of the late 1950s. Rodriguez played a crucial role in several battles and was later appointed to a leadership position in the newly established Cuban government.
While the name Osciel has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been carried by individuals from various cultural and professional backgrounds, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human civilization.
People
Osciel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Osciel 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
Osciel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Osciel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Osciel 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Osciel a common name?
We classify Osciel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Osciel most popular?
The single biggest year for Osciel was 2008, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Osciel is about 18 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 Osciel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Osciel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Osciel 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 Osciel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Osciel 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 Osciel 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 many people have the name Osciel?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Osciel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.