Ulesses
Of Greek origin, a variant spelling of Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Ulesses. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ulesses today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ulesses births was 1922 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ulesses. 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 Ulesses. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1922
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1922 SSA rank
#4,909
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Ulesses: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ulesses 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 Ulesses 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 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ulesses
The name Ulesses is believed to have originated from the ancient Greek name Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. The name Odysseus is derived from the Greek word "odyssomai," meaning "to suffer" or "to be grieved." This likely refers to the character's long and arduous journey home after the Trojan War, where he faced numerous trials and tribulations.
The Odyssey, written around the 8th century BCE, is one of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Odysseus. In the epic, Odysseus is portrayed as a skilled warrior and cunning strategist who plays a crucial role in the Trojan War and the subsequent journey back to his home in Ithaca.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with a variation of the name Ulesses was Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the 18th President of the United States and a prominent military leader during the American Civil War. His birth name was Hiram Ulysses Grant, but he was later known as Ulysses S. Grant, with the "S" potentially standing for his mother's maiden name, Simpson.
Another notable figure with the name was Ulysses Simpson Grant Dietz (1915-1976), an American ornithologist and curator at the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates. He was named after his great-uncle, Ulysses S. Grant, the former president.
In Greek mythology, there are several references to Odysseus, including his appearance in the Iliad, where he plays a crucial role in the Trojan War. The name has also been used in various literary works, including James Joyce's novel Ulysses, published in 1922, which draws parallels between the story of Odysseus and the life of a modern-day Dubliner.
Ulysses von Salis-Soglio (1594-1677) was a Swiss military leader and diplomat who served in the Thirty Years' War. He was a member of the Swiss noble family of Salis and played a significant role in the military and political affairs of his time.
Ulysses Aldrovandi (1522-1605) was an Italian naturalist and one of the founders of modern natural history. He wrote extensively on various subjects, including botany, zoology, and mineralogy, and is considered a pioneer in the field of natural history.
While the name Ulesses is not as common as some other variations, such as Ulysses or Odysseus, it remains a historically significant name with roots in ancient Greek literature and mythology.
People
Ulesses + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ulesses as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ulesses: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ulesses?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ulesses 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 Ulesses a common name?
We classify Ulesses 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, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ulesses most popular?
The single biggest year for Ulesses was 1922, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ulesses 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 Ulesses in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ulesses a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ulesses 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 Ulesses still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ulesses 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 Ulesses 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 Americans are named Ulesses?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.