Otoniel
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "lion of God".
Name Census estimates that about 1,030 living Americans carry the first name Otoniel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Otoniel today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Otoniel births was 1995 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Otoniel. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 332,771 Americans
Peak year
1995
39 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,120
Tracked since 1958
Popularity
Otoniel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Otoniel from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 256 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Otoniel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Otoniel 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 Otoniel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Otoniels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Otoniel, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 101 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Otoniel
The name Otoniel has its origins in Hebrew and is derived from the combination of two words: "otnah" meaning "lion" or "strength," and "el" meaning "God." It is a masculine given name that can be translated to mean "lion of God" or "strength of God."
The name Otoniel is found in the biblical Book of Judges, where it refers to an Israelite judge who delivered the Israelites from the Moabites. This reference dates back to around the 12th century BCE, making it one of the earliest recorded instances of the name's usage.
During the Middle Ages, the name Otoniel was relatively uncommon but did appear in various historical records and texts. One notable figure was Otoniel de Tolosa, a 12th-century Spanish nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the Reconquista, the Christian campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule.
In the 16th century, Otoniel Martín Sarmiento, a Spanish scholar and writer, was born in 1695. He made contributions to various fields, including linguistics, botany, and archaeology, and is considered one of the most important figures of the Spanish Enlightenment.
Another notable individual with the name Otoniel was Otoniel Núñez, a Mexican artist and sculptor born in 1909. His works, which often depicted indigenous themes and Mexican folklore, can be found in various museums and public spaces throughout Mexico.
In the 20th century, Otoniel Mira Gómez, a Colombian politician and diplomat, held several important positions, including serving as the Colombian Ambassador to the United States from 1982 to 1986.
While the name Otoniel has Hebrew roots, it has been adopted and used in various cultures and regions throughout history, particularly in Spain and Latin America. Despite its biblical origins, the name has transcended its religious connotations and has been embraced as a distinctive and meaningful choice for many parents.
People
Otoniel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Otoniel 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
Otoniel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Otoniel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,030 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Otoniel 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 332,771 US residents.
Is Otoniel a common name?
We classify Otoniel as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,060 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Otoniel most popular?
The single biggest year for Otoniel was 1995, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Otoniel is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Otoniel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Otoniel 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.