How Many People Are Named Ossie?
An estimated 1,065 people in the United States have the first name Ossie. It is used for both genders, with 63.5% female. The average bearer is 70 years old, and Ossie peaked in popularity in 1919 with 138 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Ossie as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Ossie paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Ossie has shifted from predominantly female to increasingly male in recent decades.
- Ossie is a genuinely unisex name, given to both boys and girls in roughly equal numbers.
- With an average bearer age of 70, Ossie is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1966.
Estimated Living Americans
1,065
About 1 in 321,835 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
63.5% confidence
Average Age
70
years old
Peak Year
1919
138 births
Total Registered
4,594
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Ossie
Ossie is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (36.5%) and females (63.5%). Out of 4,594 total births registered, 1,677 were male and 2,917 were female.
Ossie as a male name
Ranked #13,509 in 2014
5 male births in 2014
Peak: 1919 (42 births)
Ossie as a female name
Ranked #9,991 in 1980
6 female births in 1980
Peak: 1919 (96 births)
Ossie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,074 people with the first name Ossie, which placed it at #11,782 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Ossie was recorded as predominantly female. Out of 1,074 people with this name in that snapshot, 49.1% were male and 50.9% were female. That is less heavily female than the long-run SSA birth pattern on this page, which sits at 63.5% female.
Census Count
1,074
people with this name
Census Rank
#11,782
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.36
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Ossie was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (76.16%). The next largest recorded groups were White (16.51%) and Hispanic (3.62%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Ossie in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Ossie.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Black | 76.16% | 821 |
| White | 16.51% | 178 |
| Hispanic | 3.62% | 39 |
| Two or More Races | 2.60% | 28 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.74% | 8 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.37% | 4 |
The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.
Ossie: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Ossie span from the 1880s to the 2010s, covering 14 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 1,012 babies were registered. Ossie has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Ossie by Decade
How has Ossie tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Ossie by State
Birth registrations for Ossie span all 12 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina. The lowest are in Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia. On average, about 133 Ossies were registered per state.
Ossie + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Ossie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Ossie
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
Ossie: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ossie?
We estimate approximately 1,065 people named Ossie are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 321,835 Americans share this first name.
Is Ossie a common name?
Ossie is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 90.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 4,594 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Ossie most popular?
Ossie reached peak popularity in 1919, when 138 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Ossie is approximately 70 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Ossie in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 1,074 people with the first name Ossie. That placed it at #11,782 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.36 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Ossie was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Ossie?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Ossie was recorded as predominantly female. The published split was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Ossie?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Ossie was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Black (76.16%). The next largest recorded groups were White (16.51%) and Hispanic (3.62%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Ossie a female name?
Ossie is predominantly female. 63.5% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Ossie have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Ossie peaked in 1919, and the average living bearer is about 70 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Ossie Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Ossie Smith, Ossie Johnson, Ossie Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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