Ova
A word of Greek origin meaning "egg".
Name Census estimates that about 179 living Americans carry the first name Ova. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 72.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Ova today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ova births was 1918 (71 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ova. 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 Ova with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Ova is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ovas were born before 1965.
People living today
179
~ 1 in 1,914,829 Americans
Peak year
1918
71 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1964 SSA rank
#4,463
Tracked since 1881
Census
Ova in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 283 people with the first name Ova, which placed it at #30,644 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
#30,644
National first-name rank
People counted
283
283 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
85.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ova
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ova is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Ova 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 Ova at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.2% · 241
- Black or African American6.0% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 11
- Two or more races2.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Ova
Ova is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,892 total registrations, 528 (27.9%) were male and 1,364 (72.1%) were female.
Ova as a male name
- Ranked #4,463 in 1964
- 5 male births in 1964
- Peak: 1918 (26 births)
Ova as a female name
- Ranked #16,991 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1919 (51 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ova on both sides of the split. Of the 283 people counted with this name, 148 were male (52.3%) and 135 were female (47.7%).
Popularity
Ova: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ova from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 515 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ova 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 Ova during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ovas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas recorded the most babies named Ova, while West Virginia, Alabama, Oklahoma recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 97 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ova
The name Ova has its roots in the Latin language, originating from the word "ovum," which means "egg." This connection with the concept of an egg has led to various interpretations and associations throughout history.
In ancient Roman culture, the egg was a symbol of fertility, rebirth, and new beginnings. It was believed to represent the cycle of life, as it contained the potential for new life within its shell. The name Ova may have been derived from this symbolic meaning, reflecting the idea of fertility and new beginnings.
During the early Christian era, the egg also gained religious significance as a symbol of resurrection and eternal life. The breaking of the egg's shell was seen as a metaphor for Christ's resurrection from the tomb. As a result, the name Ova may have been used by early Christians as a way to honor and celebrate this symbolic meaning.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ova can be found in the writings of the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, who lived in the 1st century AD. In his work "Naturalis Historia," he mentions a Roman woman named Ova who was known for her exceptional beauty and grace.
In the Middle Ages, the name Ova was relatively uncommon, but it did appear in some historical records. One notable figure was Ova of Montferrat, a 12th-century noblewoman from the Montferrat region of Italy. She was known for her involvement in the political affairs of her time and her role in the Crusades.
During the Renaissance period, the name Ova gained some popularity among artists and intellectuals who were fascinated by the symbolism and imagery associated with eggs. One example is the Italian painter Ova Ghiberti, who lived in the 15th century and was renowned for his works depicting scenes from the Bible.
In the 19th century, the name Ova appeared in literature, notably in the works of the Russian author Ivan Turgenev. One of his characters, Ova Petrovna, was a strong-willed and independent woman who challenged societal norms of the time.
Another notable figure was Ova Nankivell, a British artist and suffragette who lived from 1858 to 1932. She was known for her vibrant paintings and her activism in the women's suffrage movement, advocating for women's rights and equality.
People
Ova + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ova 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
Ova: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ova?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 179 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ova 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 1,914,829 US residents.
Is Ova a common name?
We classify Ova as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,892 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ova most popular?
The single biggest year for Ova was 1918, when 71 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ova is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ova in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 283 people with the name Ova, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,644 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 Ova 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 Ova?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ova on both sides of the split. Of the 283 people counted with this name, 148 were male (52.3%) and 135 were female (47.7%). 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 Ova?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ova is White at 85.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Ova most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ova in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.2% (241 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 Ova in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ova a female name?
Yes, 72.1% of people registered as Ova 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 Ova still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ova 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 Ova 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 Ova?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.