Otisha
An invented name with no definitive meaning or etymology.
Name Census estimates that about 152 living Americans carry the first name Otisha. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Otisha today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Otisha births was 1987 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Otisha. 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
152
~ 1 in 2,254,963 Americans
Peak year
1987
12 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2001 SSA rank
#17,260
Tracked since 1973
Census
Otisha in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 152 people with the first name Otisha, which placed it at #44,992 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,992
National first-name rank
People counted
152
152 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Otisha
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Otisha is Black at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Otisha described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Otisha at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.4% · 142
- Two or more races3.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
- White0.7% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Popularity
Otisha: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Otisha from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 77 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Otisha 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 Otisha 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 Otisha
The name Otisha is believed to have originated from the ancient Sanskrit language, which has its roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is thought to be derived from the word "Otisha," which means "wanderer" or "traveler." This name was likely given to individuals who were known for their adventurous spirit and love for exploration.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Otisha can be found in the ancient Hindu scripture, the Mahabharata. In this epic, there is a character named Otisha, who was a skilled warrior and a loyal companion to the Pandava princes. The name gained popularity among the warrior classes during this period, as it symbolized strength, courage, and a sense of adventure.
In the 7th century CE, there was a famous Buddhist monk named Otisha who traveled extensively throughout Asia, spreading the teachings of Buddhism. His travels and contributions to the religion are well-documented in various historical records, and he is revered as an important figure in the Buddhist tradition.
During the medieval period, the name Otisha was also found among the ruling classes in certain regions of India. One notable individual was Otisha Devi, a 12th-century queen who ruled over a small kingdom in present-day Rajasthan. She was known for her wise leadership and her efforts to promote education and cultural development in her realm.
Another famous bearer of the name Otisha was a 16th-century poet and scholar from Bengal, India. Otisha Ghosh was renowned for his mastery of Sanskrit literature and his contributions to the field of poetry. His works were widely studied and celebrated during his lifetime and continue to be appreciated by scholars and literary enthusiasts today.
Moving forward in history, there was an Otisha Singh, a 19th-century Sikh warrior who fought bravely against the British colonial forces in the Anglo-Sikh Wars. His valor and unwavering spirit in the face of adversity earned him a place in the annals of Sikh history and folklore.
While the name Otisha has its roots in ancient India, it has transcended geographical boundaries and cultural barriers over the centuries. Its meaning and associations with adventure, courage, and intellectual pursuits have made it a name that has been embraced by people from various backgrounds and cultures around the world.
People
Otisha + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Otisha 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
Otisha: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Otisha?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 152 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Otisha 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 2,254,963 US residents.
Is Otisha a common name?
We classify Otisha as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 160 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Otisha most popular?
The single biggest year for Otisha was 1987, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Otisha is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Otisha in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 152 people with the name Otisha, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,992 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Otisha in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Otisha?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Otisha appears almost entirely female. Of the 145 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Otisha?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Otisha is Black at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Otisha most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Otisha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (142 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Otisha in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Otisha a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Otisha 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 Otisha still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Otisha 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 Otisha 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.
How many Americans are named Otisha?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.