Osvin
A masculine name of Old English origin meaning "divine friend".
Name Census estimates that about 74 living Americans carry the first name Osvin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Osvin today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Osvin births was 2012 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Osvin. 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 Osvin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
74
~ 1 in 4,631,815 Americans
Peak year
2012
9 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,508
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Osvin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Osvin from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 35 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Osvin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Osvin 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 Osvin 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 Osvin
The name Osvin has its roots in the Old English language, originating during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, which lasted from the 5th to the 11th century AD. The name is composed of two elements: "os," meaning "divine" or "god," and "wine," meaning "friend" or "protector." Thus, Osvin could be interpreted as "friend of God" or "divine protector."
In the early medieval period, Osvin was a popular name among the Anglo-Saxon nobility and royalty. One notable bearer of the name was Oswin, the King of Deira (a kingdom in what is now northern England) from 644 to 651 AD. He was known for his piety and generosity and was eventually canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Another early historical figure with the name Osvin was a Northumbrian nobleman who lived in the late 7th century AD. He is mentioned in the Venerable Bede's "Ecclesiastical History of the English People" as a supporter of the Celtic Church's practices.
In the later medieval period, the name Osvin seems to have fallen out of widespread use, likely due to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 and the subsequent rise of French-derived names. However, there are a few recorded instances of the name being used during this time.
One notable bearer of the name Osvin in the later medieval period was Oswin de Aton (or Oswin de Auton), a 13th-century English knight and landowner from Yorkshire. He is mentioned in several historical records and documents from the time.
In the modern era, the name Osvin has seen a resurgence in popularity, particularly among those interested in reviving ancient Anglo-Saxon names. One notable modern bearer of the name was Osvin Dembski (1904-1981), an Austrian-born British chess player and author who authored several books on the game.
While not an exhaustive list, these are a few notable examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Osvin, showcasing its rich historical roots and evolution over time.
People
Osvin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Osvin 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
Osvin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Osvin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 74 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Osvin 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 4,631,815 US residents.
Is Osvin a common name?
We classify Osvin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.2% 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 Osvin most popular?
The single biggest year for Osvin was 2012, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Osvin is about 12 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 Osvin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Osvin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Osvin 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 Osvin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Osvin 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 Osvin 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 share the name Osvin?
Want to know how many people share the name Osvin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.