Otavia
A feminine name of Latin origin meaning "prosperous" or "wealthy".
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Otavia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Otavia today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Otavia births was 1991 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Otavia. 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 Otavia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1991
6 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2002 SSA rank
#14,931
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Otavia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Otavia from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 6 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
Otavia 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 Otavia 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 Otavia
The name Otavia has its origins in the ancient Roman civilization, derived from the Latin word "octavus," meaning "eighth." It is believed to have emerged during the Roman Republic or early Roman Empire period, around the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD.
The name Otavia was initially used as a feminine form of the masculine name Octavius, which was a Roman family name. The Octavii were a prominent Roman family that produced several notable figures, including the first Roman emperor, Augustus (formerly known as Octavian).
In ancient Roman texts and historical records, the name Otavia is mentioned in association with several influential women from the imperial family. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Otavia the Younger, sister of the Emperor Augustus and wife of Mark Antony. She lived from 69 BC to 11 BC and played a significant role in the political affairs of the Roman Empire.
Another notable figure with the name Otavia was Otavia Claudia, the daughter of the Emperor Claudius and Valeria Messalina. She lived from around 39 AD to 62 AD and was the first wife of the Emperor Nero.
The name Otavia also appears in several ancient literary works, such as the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentioned an Otavia Vitella, the mother of the short-lived Roman emperor Vitellius.
Throughout history, there have been several other notable individuals who bore the name Otavia, including:
1. Otavia of Alesia (c. 50 BC - unknown), a Gallic noblewoman who was captured by Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars.
2. Otavia Colonna (c. 1492 - 1548), an Italian poet and writer during the Renaissance period.
3. Otavia Piccolomini (1599 - 1656), an Italian noble and patron of the arts who played a significant role in the cultural life of Rome during the 17th century.
4. Otavia Leoni (1574 - 1655), an Italian painter and sculptor active in the Baroque period.
5. Otavia Hill (1838 - 1912), a British social reformer and co-founder of the National Trust in England.
While the name Otavia fell out of widespread use after the decline of the Roman Empire, it has periodically resurfaced throughout history, particularly during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, when there was a renewed interest in classical Roman culture and names.
People
Otavia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Otavia 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
Otavia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Otavia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Otavia 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Otavia a common name?
We classify Otavia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Otavia most popular?
The single biggest year for Otavia was 1991, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Otavia is about 34 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 Otavia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Otavia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Otavia 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 Otavia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Otavia 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 Otavia 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 Otavia as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.