Ousmane
An Arabic masculine name meaning "prosperous" or "flourishing one".
Name Census estimates that about 674 living Americans carry the first name Ousmane. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ousmane today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ousmane births was 2023 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ousmane. 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 Ousmane with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
674
~ 1 in 508,538 Americans
Peak year
2023
46 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,074
Tracked since 1993
Census
Ousmane in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,148 people with the first name Ousmane, which placed it at #11,275 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
#11,275
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,148 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ousmane
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ousmane is Black at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and White (1.1%). 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 Ousmane 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 Ousmane at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.9% · 1,090
- Two or more races1.9% · 22
- White1.1% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Ousmane: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ousmane 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 248 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Ousmane remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ousmane 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 Ousmane during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ousmanes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Ousmane, while Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 98 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ousmane
Ousmane is a West African masculine given name of Arabic origin, widely used among the Mandinka, Fula, and Wolof peoples. The name derives from the Arabic name Uthman, which itself has roots in the word "Athamah," meaning strength, power, or firmness.
The name Uthman holds significant historical relevance, as it was the name of the third Caliph of Islam, Uthman ibn Affan, who ruled from 644 to 656 CE. Uthman played a crucial role in the early years of Islam, overseeing the compilation of the Quran into a single manuscript.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ousmane can be traced back to the 13th century, during the rise of the Mali Empire in West Africa. One of the most notable historical figures bearing this name was Ousmane Dan Fodio, a Fulani preacher, and scholar who led the Sokoto Caliphate in present-day northern Nigeria in the early 19th century.
Another prominent individual with the name Ousmane was Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese writer, filmmaker, and activist, often referred to as the "father of African cinema." Sembene was born in 1923 and passed away in 2007, leaving behind a legacy of works that explored the complexities of colonialism and post-colonial Africa.
Ousmane Gaouda Diarra, a Malian politician and diplomat, served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mali from 1994 to 2000. He was born in 1946 and played a significant role in Mali's international relations during his tenure.
Ousmane Sembène, a renowned Senegalese writer and filmmaker, was born in 1923 and is considered one of the most influential figures in African literature and cinema. His works, such as "Black Girl" and "Xala," explored themes of colonialism, social injustice, and cultural identity.
Ousmane Sow, a Senegalese sculptor and painter, was born in 1935 and is best known for his vibrant and expressive works that blend traditional African motifs with modern techniques. His sculptures and paintings have been exhibited worldwide and are celebrated for their unique style and cultural significance.
People
Ousmane + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ousmane 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
Ousmane: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ousmane?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 674 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ousmane 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 508,538 US residents.
Is Ousmane a common name?
We classify Ousmane as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 681 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ousmane most popular?
The single biggest year for Ousmane was 2023, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ousmane is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ousmane in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,148 people with the name Ousmane, or 0.38 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,275 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 Ousmane 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 Ousmane?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ousmane leans strongly male. 1,116 people counted with this name were male (97.7%), compared with 26 female bearers (2.3%). 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 Ousmane?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ousmane is Black at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and White (1.1%). 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 Ousmane most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Ousmane in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (1,090 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 Ousmane in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ousmane a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ousmane 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 Ousmane still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ousmane 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 Ousmane 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 are named Ousmane?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.