Othniel
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "strength/might of God".
Name Census estimates that about 656 living Americans carry the first name Othniel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Othniel today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Othniel births was 2018 (64 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Othniel. 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.
People living today
656
~ 1 in 522,491 Americans
Peak year
2018
64 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,746
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Othniel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Othniel from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 325 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Othniel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Othniel 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 Othniel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Othniels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. Texas, New Jersey, New York recorded the most babies named Othniel, while Washington, Ohio, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Othniel
The name Othniel has Hebrew origins and can be traced back to the Bible's Old Testament. It is derived from the Hebrew words "owthen" meaning "force" or "strength" and "el" meaning "God". The name essentially translates to "lion of God" or "strength of God".
Othniel is a relatively rare name, but it has been used throughout history. One of the earliest and most notable references comes from the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. Othniel was one of the leaders of the Israelites and the first of the Biblical judges who ruled after the conquest of Canaan. He is credited with delivering the Israelites from the king of Aram and establishing a period of peace that lasted for 40 years.
The name remained in use among Hebrew communities for centuries after its Biblical origins. Othniel ben Kenaz, a Jewish scholar and sage from the 2nd century CE, is considered one of the earliest recorded individuals to bear the name outside of the Bible.
During the Middle Ages, the name saw some use among European Christians, likely due to its Biblical roots. One notable example is Othniel Norwood Gillett, an English clergyman and academic who served as the President of Harvard College from 1819 to 1836.
In the 19th century, the name became more popular in the United States, particularly among Protestant communities. Othniel Marsh, an American paleontologist and one of the leading scientists of his time, was born in 1831. He is best known for his extensive studies of prehistoric life and his rivalry with Edward Drinker Cope, which became known as the "Bone Wars".
Another notable figure was Othniel Charles Marsh, born in 1815, an American jurist who served as the Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court from 1859 to 1862.
In more recent times, the name has remained relatively rare, but a few individuals have carried it forward. Othniel Askew was a British athlete and two-time Olympic medalist in the early 20th century, winning silver in the 4x100m relay at the 1908 London Olympics and gold in the same event at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.
People
Othniel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Othniel 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
Othniel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Othniel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 656 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Othniel 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 522,491 US residents.
Is Othniel a common name?
We classify Othniel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 668 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Othniel most popular?
The single biggest year for Othniel was 2018, when 64 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Othniel is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Othniel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Othniel 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.
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.