Ovis
A Latin name meaning "sheep" or "ram".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Ovis. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Ovis today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ovis births was 1916 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ovis. 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 Ovis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1918 SSA rank
#4,648
Tracked since 1916
Gender
Gender distribution for Ovis
Ovis is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 10 total registrations, 5 (50.0%) were male and 5 (50.0%) were female.
Ovis as a male name
- Ranked #4,648 in 1918
- 5 male births in 1918
- Peak: 1918 (5 births)
Ovis as a female name
- Ranked #4,982 in 1916
- 5 female births in 1916
- Peak: 1916 (5 births)
Popularity
Ovis: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ovis 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 Ovis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 5 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ovis
The given name Ovis has its origins in the Latin language. It is derived from the Latin word 'ovis', which means 'sheep'. The name can be traced back to ancient Roman times, where it was likely used as a nickname or a term of endearment for someone associated with sheep or the wool industry.
In ancient Roman literature, there are a few references to the word 'ovis', but no specific mentions of it being used as a personal name. However, the name's connection to sheep and the importance of wool in Roman society suggest that it may have been adopted as a name during that period.
One of the earliest recorded examples of Ovis being used as a personal name dates back to the 12th century. Ovis de Montfort was a French nobleman who lived from around 1160 to 1230. He was a prominent figure during the Albigensian Crusade and played a significant role in the siege of Toulouse.
Another notable individual with the name Ovis was Ovis Martelli, an Italian painter and architect who lived from 1330 to 1401. He was a member of the prominent Martelli family of Florence and is known for his contributions to the design of several churches and palaces in the city.
In the 16th century, Ovis Vander Gracht was a Dutch merchant and explorer who lived from 1520 to 1598. He is credited with establishing trade routes between the Netherlands and various regions in Asia, and his journals provide valuable insights into the commercial and cultural exchanges of that era.
Ovis Thuresson was a Swedish philosopher and theologian who lived from 1638 to 1705. He was a professor at Uppsala University and is remembered for his influential works on ethics and religious thought, which were widely read and discussed in Scandinavia during his lifetime.
Lastly, Ovis Chamberlain was a British politician and diplomat who lived from 1863 to 1937. He served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1940 and played a crucial role in the events leading up to World War II.
People
Ovis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ovis 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
Ovis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ovis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ovis 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 Ovis a common name?
We classify Ovis 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, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ovis most popular?
The single biggest year for Ovis was 1916, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ovis 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 Ovis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ovis a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Ovis 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 Ovis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ovis 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 Ovis 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 Ovis?
You can see how many Americans are named Ovis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.