Ostell
Of unknown origin, perhaps derived from a variant of Hostel.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Ostell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ostell today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ostell births was 1927 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ostell. 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 Ostell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1927
7 babies that year
Average age
-
1927 SSA rank
#3,697
Tracked since 1927
Popularity
Ostell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ostell 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 Ostell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ostell
The given name Ostell is an Old English name that originated in the early medieval period, likely around the 7th or 8th century AD. It is derived from the Old English words "os" meaning "god" and "tell" meaning "to count or account," suggesting a meaning along the lines of "one who keeps accounts for the gods."
This name has its roots in the pagan Anglo-Saxon culture of what is now England, and it may have been used as a name for those who held roles related to religion, accounting, or record-keeping in early English societies. However, there are no known definitive historical references or ancient texts that clearly mention this name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ostell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this document, a landowner named Ostell is mentioned as holding property in the county of Norfolk.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance period, the name Ostell continued to be used, albeit infrequently. One notable bearer of this name was Ostell Shepard, a 14th-century English merchant who was involved in the wool trade and served as a member of the Parliament of England during the reign of King Edward III (1312-1377).
In the 16th century, an Ostell Holcroft was a prominent lawyer and judge in England, serving as a Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603). He was known for his expertise in legal matters and his contributions to the development of English common law.
Another historically significant figure with the name Ostell was Ostell Vaughan, a 17th-century Welsh scholar and translator who was instrumental in translating several important works into Welsh, including portions of the Bible and other religious texts. He lived from approximately 1620 to 1680.
Finally, in the 19th century, an Ostell Blakiston served as a British naval officer and explorer, participating in several expeditions to the Arctic regions. He lived from 1832 to 1896 and made significant contributions to the mapping and exploration of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
While the name Ostell has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, these examples demonstrate its use across various periods and contexts, ranging from landowners and merchants to lawyers, scholars, and explorers. Despite its ancient origins, the name has persisted as a unique and distinctive choice for many centuries.
People
Ostell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ostell 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
Ostell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ostell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ostell 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 - US residents.
Is Ostell a common name?
We classify Ostell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ostell most popular?
The single biggest year for Ostell was 1927, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ostell is about 0 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 Ostell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ostell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ostell 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 Ostell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ostell 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 Ostell 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 Ostell as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Ostell, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.