Ostara
A feminine given name derived from the Germanic goddess of spring.
Name Census estimates that about 75 living Americans carry the first name Ostara. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ostara today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ostara births was 2019 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ostara. 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 Ostara with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ostara. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
75
~ 1 in 4,570,058 Americans
Peak year
2019
14 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,377
Tracked since 2011
Popularity
Ostara: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ostara from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 49 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
Ostara 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 Ostara 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 Ostara
The name Ostara has its origins in the Germanic languages and cultures of Europe. It is derived from the Old High German word "ostarun", which means "to shine" or "to rise". This is likely a reference to the Spring Equinox and the rising of the sun, as Ostara was the name of the ancient Germanic goddess of spring and fertility.
Ostara was a prominent figure in the pagan beliefs of various Germanic tribes, including the Anglo-Saxons, who celebrated the festival of Eostre (another spelling of the name) during the Spring Equinox. This festival was later incorporated into the Christian celebration of Easter, with many of its customs and symbols, such as eggs and rabbits, being adopted into the modern Easter tradition.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ostara can be traced back to the 8th century, when the Venerable Bede, an English monk and scholar, mentioned the goddess Eostre in his work "De Temporum Ratione" (On the Reckoning of Time). However, references to the goddess and her festival can be found in earlier Germanic texts and folklore.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Ostara or variations of it. One such person was Ostara of Saxony (c. 1180 - c. 1233), a German noblewoman and abbess who founded the Cistercian convent of Itzehoe in present-day Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Another was Ostara Bauer (1886 - 1981), an Austrian painter and illustrator known for her depictions of fairy tales and folklore.
In the 19th century, the name Ostara gained popularity within the context of the Romantic movement and the renewed interest in Germanic mythology and folklore. The German composer Johann Strauss II (1825 - 1899) wrote a waltz titled "Ostara" in 1876, further popularizing the name. Additionally, the author Edith Pargeter (1913 - 1995), who wrote under the pen name Ellis Peters, featured a character named Ostara in her novel "A Nice Derangement of Epitaphs" from the Brother Cadfael Chronicles series.
While not as common as some other Germanic names, Ostara has maintained a presence throughout history, particularly in German-speaking regions and among those interested in Germanic mythology and folklore. Its connection to the Spring Equinox and the celebration of renewal and fertility has made it a unique and evocative name choice for many parents.
People
Ostara + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ostara 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
Ostara: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ostara?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 75 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ostara 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 4,570,058 US residents.
Is Ostara a common name?
We classify Ostara as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 75 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ostara most popular?
The single biggest year for Ostara was 2019, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ostara is about 6 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 Ostara in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ostara a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ostara in the SSA data are female. 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 Ostara still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ostara 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 Ostara 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 Americans are named Ostara?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.