Ovey
A masculine name of French origin, possibly meaning "he who shepherds".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Ovey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ovey today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ovey births was 1925 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ovey. 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 Ovey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1925
6 babies that year
Average age
-
1925 SSA rank
#4,082
Tracked since 1924
Popularity
Ovey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ovey 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 Ovey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 11 | 0 | 11 |
Geography
Where Oveys live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ovey
The given name Ovey is believed to have originated from the Old English word "ofer," which means "over" or "above." This name first surfaced in the early medieval period in parts of Britain, particularly in the regions that were heavily influenced by Anglo-Saxon culture.
During the Anglo-Saxon era, names often reflected physical characteristics, occupations, or locations. The name Ovey may have been bestowed upon someone who lived on a hill or resided in an area known as "over" or "above" a certain landmark or settlement.
While there are no explicit references to the name Ovey in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that some variations of the name appeared in early medieval manuscripts or records. However, these records are scarce and often difficult to decipher due to the evolution of language and spelling over time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ovey dates back to the 12th century. An individual named Ovey de Wyleby was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1198. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century in England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ovey. Here are five examples:
1. Ovey Middleton (1679-1748), an English clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Calcutta from 1718 to 1722.
2. Ovey Pitman (1810-1892), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana.
3. Ovey Woodworth (1822-1909), an American businessman and industrialist who founded the Woodworth Milling Company in Cincinnati, Ohio.
4. Ovey Culp (1919-2005), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Washington Senators in the 1940s.
5. Ovey St. Clair (born 1957), a former professional football player who played as a defensive back for the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League.
These examples demonstrate that the name Ovey, although relatively uncommon, has been present throughout various periods in history and has been borne by individuals from different walks of life, including clergymen, politicians, businessmen, and athletes.
People
Ovey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ovey 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
Ovey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ovey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ovey 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 - US residents.
Is Ovey a common name?
We classify Ovey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ovey most popular?
The single biggest year for Ovey was 1925, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ovey is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Ovey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ovey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ovey 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 Ovey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ovey 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 Ovey 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Ovey?
You can see how many Americans are named Ovey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.