Ovila
A feminine name of French origin meaning "from the egg shape."
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Ovila. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ovila today is around 95 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ovila births was 1916 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ovila. 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
- • The typical person named Ovila is about 95 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ovilas were born before 1941.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ovila. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1916
17 babies that year
Average age
95
years old
1943 SSA rank
#3,922
Tracked since 1895
Popularity
Ovila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ovila from the 1890s through to the 1940s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 109 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
Ovila 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 Ovila during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ovilas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ovila
The given name Ovila finds its origins in Latin, specifically derived from the masculine name Ovidius. Ovidius was a renowned Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus, from 43 BC to 17 AD. His most celebrated work, the Metamorphoses, is an epic poem that explores various mythological transformations.
Ovila traces its linguistic roots to the Latin word "ovis," meaning "sheep." This connection suggests that the name may have initially held associations with shepherding or the pastoral lifestyle prevalent in ancient Roman society.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ovila can be found in the chronicles of the Visigothic Kingdom, which ruled parts of the Iberian Peninsula and southwestern France between the 5th and 8th centuries AD. During this period, the name was borne by several notable individuals, including Ovila, a Visigothic Count who lived in the 7th century.
In the realm of religious history, the name Ovila gained prominence through its association with Saint Ovila, a 7th-century Spanish abbot and founder of the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. His life and deeds were documented in various hagiographies, contributing to the name's enduring legacy within the Christian tradition.
One of the most renowned historical figures to bear the name Ovila was Ovila of Palencia (c. 1050 - c. 1120), a Spanish scholar, theologian, and Bishop of Palencia. His writings and teachings made significant contributions to the intellectual and religious discourse of his time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Ovila of Ávila (c. 1170 - c. 1240), a Spanish nobleman and military leader who played a crucial role in the Reconquista, the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule.
During the Renaissance period, the name Ovila was relatively uncommon, but it resurfaced in the 17th century with Ovila Cavalchini (1594 - 1679), an Italian painter and architect who worked in Rome and was celebrated for his frescoes and architectural designs.
In more recent times, the name Ovila has been less frequently encountered, although a few notable individuals have carried it. One such figure was Ovila Légaré (1901 - 1978), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the district of Charlevoix-Saguenay from 1935 to 1949.
People
Ovila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ovila 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
Ovila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ovila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ovila 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Ovila a common name?
We classify Ovila as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 240 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ovila most popular?
The single biggest year for Ovila was 1916, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ovila is about 95 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 Ovila in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ovila a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ovila 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 Ovila still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ovila 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 Ovila 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 have the name Ovila?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Ovila, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.