Osman
A Turkish name derived from the Arabic name 'Uthman', meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy".
Name Census estimates that about 3,644 living Americans carry the first name Osman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Osman today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Osman births was 2022 (231 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Osman. 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 Osman with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Osman is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
3.6K
~ 1 in 94,060 Americans
Peak year
2022
231 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,031
Tracked since 1917
Census
Osman in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,196 people with the first name Osman, which placed it at #3,073 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,073
National first-name rank
People counted
7.2K
7,196 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
42.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osman
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Osman is Hispanic at 42.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and White (18.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Osman described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Osman at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino42.8% · 3,081
- Black or African American27.1% · 1,948
- White18.4% · 1,325
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.7% · 699
- Two or more races1.9% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Popularity
Osman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Osman from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 1,060 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
Osman 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 Osman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Osmans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Osman, while Wisconsin, South Carolina, Connecticut recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 106 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Osman
The name Osman finds its origin in the Arabic language and is derived from the word "Asama," which means "lion" or "brave." It emerged during the early Islamic period and has been widely used across various cultures influenced by Islam.
The name Osman gained particular significance in Ottoman history, as it was the name of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Osman I, who ruled from 1299 to 1326. His reign marked the beginning of the Ottoman Dynasty, which went on to establish one of the most powerful empires in the world.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Osman can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam, where it is mentioned as the name of a prophet. This association with a prophetic figure contributed to the name's widespread acceptance among Muslims.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Osman. One of the most famous was Osman Ghazi (1258-1326), also known as Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Another prominent figure was Osman II (1604-1622), the 16th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who reigned from 1618 to 1622.
In the realm of literature, Osman Agha (1833-1900) was a renowned Turkish author and poet who made significant contributions to the Ottoman literary tradition. His works, such as "Divan-ı Nadire," were widely celebrated.
In the modern era, Osman Nuhu Sharubutu (1919-2005) was a prominent Ghanaian Muslim leader who served as the National Chief Imam of Ghana from 1993 until his death. He played a crucial role in promoting interfaith dialogue and religious harmony in the country.
Osman Ahmed Osman (1932-1992) was an Egyptian novelist and playwright whose works explored social and political themes in Egypt. His novel "The Confessions of a Minor Twin" gained international acclaim and was translated into several languages.
These are just a few examples of the many notable figures throughout history who have carried the name Osman, reflecting its cultural significance and enduring legacy across various regions and time periods.
People
Osman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Osman 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
Osman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Osman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,644 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Osman 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 94,060 US residents.
Is Osman a common name?
We classify Osman as "Rare". It ranks above 95.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,711 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Osman most popular?
The single biggest year for Osman was 2022, when 231 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Osman is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Osman in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,196 people with the name Osman, or 2.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,073 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Osman in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Osman?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Osman appears almost entirely male. Of the 7,199 people counted with this name, 99.5% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Osman?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Osman is Hispanic at 42.8%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and White (18.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Osman most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Osman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.8% (3,081 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Osman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Osman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Osman 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 Osman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Osman 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 Osman 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.
How many people have Osman as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.