Ottilia
A feminine given name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "prosperous in battle".
Name Census estimates that about 86 living Americans carry the first name Ottilia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ottilia today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ottilia births was 1891 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ottilia. 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 Ottilia. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
86
~ 1 in 3,985,516 Americans
Peak year
1891
22 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,796
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Ottilia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ottilia from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1890s, with 142 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1890s peak, Ottilia remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ottilia 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 Ottilia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ottilias live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ottilia
The name Ottilia has its origins in the Germanic languages and is derived from the Old German name Odila or Othilia. The root of the name is believed to be derived from the Germanic elements "od" meaning wealth or prosperity, and "hild" meaning battle. Thus, the name Ottilia can be interpreted to mean "prosperous in battle" or "prosperous warrior".
Ottilia was a popular name among the Germanic tribes during the Middle Ages and was initially more prevalent in regions of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The name later spread to other parts of Europe through various cultural exchanges and migrations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ottilia can be found in the 8th century, when a Benedictine abbess named Ottilia lived in the monastery of St. Odile in Alsace, France. She is revered as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and is the patron saint of good vision and eye disorders.
Another notable figure with the name Ottilia was Ottilia of Katzenelnbogen (1238-1292), a German noblewoman who served as the Abbess of the Convent of St. Cyriacus in Cologne, Germany. She played a significant role in the spiritual and administrative affairs of the convent during her tenure.
In the 16th century, Ottilia Strozzi (1619-1698) was an Italian poet and scholar from the prominent Strozzi family of Florence. She was known for her literary works and her patronage of the arts.
In the 19th century, Ottilia Bonnevie (1840-1926) was a Norwegian author and feminist activist who wrote extensively on women's rights and social issues. She played a pivotal role in the early women's movement in Norway.
Another historical figure bearing the name was Ottilia Jacobsson (1892-1967), a Swedish operatic soprano who performed at the Royal Swedish Opera and other renowned opera houses in Europe during the early 20th century.
While the name Ottilia has seen a decline in popularity in recent times, it has a rich historical legacy and has been borne by notable figures across various cultures and time periods.
People
Ottilia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ottilia 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
Ottilia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ottilia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 86 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ottilia 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 3,985,516 US residents.
Is Ottilia a common name?
We classify Ottilia as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 584 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ottilia most popular?
The single biggest year for Ottilia was 1891, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ottilia is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ottilia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ottilia 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.
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.