Ulyss
A masculine given name derived from the Latin form of Ulysses, the hero of Homer's Odyssey.
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Ulyss. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ulyss today is around 82 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ulyss births was 1918 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ulyss. 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 Ulyss is about 82 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ulyss' were born before 1954.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ulyss. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1918
9 babies that year
Average age
82
years old
1932 SSA rank
#4,240
Tracked since 1914
Popularity
Ulyss: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ulyss from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 30 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
Ulyss 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 Ulyss during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ulyss
The name Ulyss is derived from the Ancient Greek name Odysseus, the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. It is believed to have originated around the 8th century BC, during the Archaic period of Ancient Greece. Odysseus was a legendary figure in Greek mythology, renowned for his cunning and intelligence during the Trojan War.
The name Odysseus is thought to be derived from the Greek verb "odyssomai," meaning "to hate" or "to be hated." Some scholars suggest it may also be related to the Greek word "odyssasthai," meaning "to suffer" or "to endure." This could allude to the many trials and tribulations Odysseus faced during his arduous journey home after the Trojan War.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Odysseus can be found in Homer's epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which are believed to have been composed around the 8th century BC. These works have had a profound influence on Western literature and have become cornerstones of the ancient Greek literary tradition.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Ulyss or a variation of it. One of the most famous was Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the 18th President of the United States and a renowned military leader during the American Civil War. Another was Ulysses Simpson Everett (1890-1960), an American mathematician and logician who made significant contributions to the field of set theory.
In literature, the name Ulyss has been used by several authors, including James Joyce in his novel Ulysses, published in 1922. This work, considered one of the most influential novels of the 20th century, follows the adventures of Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus over the course of a single day in Dublin, with parallels drawn to Homer's Odyssey.
Other notable figures with the name Ulyss include Ulysses Xavier Tsilihqoz (1886-1957), a Native American painter and sculptor from the Chilkat region of Alaska, and Ulysses Everett McGill (1910-1989), an American blues singer and guitarist better known as Mississippi Fred McDowell.
People
Ulyss + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ulyss 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
Ulyss: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ulyss?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ulyss 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 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Ulyss a common name?
We classify Ulyss as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 54 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ulyss most popular?
The single biggest year for Ulyss was 1918, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ulyss is about 82 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 Ulyss in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ulyss a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ulyss 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 Ulyss still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ulyss 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 Ulyss 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 Ulyss?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.