Ousman
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "little lion" or "small lion".
Name Census estimates that about 347 living Americans carry the first name Ousman. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ousman today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ousman births was 2016 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ousman. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Ousman with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
347
~ 1 in 987,765 Americans
Peak year
2016
26 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,613
Tracked since 1992
Census
Ousman in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 547 people with the first name Ousman, which placed it at #19,370 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
#19,370
National first-name rank
People counted
547
547 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
92.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ousman
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ousman is Black at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Ousman 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 Ousman at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.7% · 507
- Two or more races2.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 12
- White1.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 3
Popularity
Ousman: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ousman from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 149 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ousman remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ousman 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 Ousman during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ousmans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ousman
The name Ousman has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots dating back to the 7th century CE. It is derived from the Arabic word "Uthman," which translates to "prosperity" or "blessing." The name is closely associated with the third Caliph of Islam, Uthman ibn Affan, who ruled from 644 to 656 CE.
Ousman is a widely used name among Muslim communities across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of West Africa. It gained popularity in the region during the early days of Islam as a tribute to the revered Caliph Uthman ibn Affan. The name has also been spelled in various ways, including Osman, Othman, and Uthman, reflecting regional linguistic variations.
Historically, the name Ousman has appeared in numerous religious texts and historical records. The Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, mentions Uthman ibn Affan as one of the closest companions of the Prophet Muhammad. His name is also featured in various hadith (sayings of the Prophet) and Islamic biographical works, highlighting his significance in the early Islamic community.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ousman can be found in the life of Ousman dan Fodio (1754-1817), a prominent Islamic scholar and spiritual leader who established the Sokoto Caliphate in what is now northern Nigeria. He played a pivotal role in the spread of Islam and the promotion of Islamic education in West Africa.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ousman. For instance, Ousman I (1609-1640) was the first Sultan of the Bornu Empire, located in present-day northeastern Nigeria and parts of neighboring countries. Ousman II (1804-1859) was the eighth Sultan of the Sokoto Caliphate and is remembered for his efforts in promoting Islamic education and governance.
Another prominent figure was Ousman Sembene (1923-2007), a Senegalese novelist, filmmaker, and scholar, widely regarded as one of the most influential African writers of the 20th century. His works explored themes of colonialism, social injustice, and the struggles of the African people.
Ousman Bakar (1963-), a Malaysian philosopher and scholar of Islamic thought, has made significant contributions to the field of Islamic philosophy and has authored numerous books exploring the relationship between Islam, science, and modernity.
Ousman Sow (1935-2016), a Senegalese artist and sculptor, gained international recognition for his works that blended traditional African motifs with contemporary styles, celebrating the cultural heritage of his homeland.
People
Ousman + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ousman 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
Ousman: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ousman?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 347 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ousman 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 987,765 US residents.
Is Ousman a common name?
We classify Ousman as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 351 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ousman most popular?
The single biggest year for Ousman was 2016, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ousman is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ousman in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 547 people with the name Ousman, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,370 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 Ousman 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 Ousman?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ousman leans strongly male. 542 people counted with this name were male (98.9%), compared with 6 female bearers (1.1%). 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 Ousman?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ousman is Black at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.2%). 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 Ousman most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Ousman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (507 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 Ousman in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ousman a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ousman 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.
Is Ousman still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ousman 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 Ousman 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 people have the name Ousman?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Ousman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.