girls' name ★ peaked 2021

Octavia

Meaning the eighth Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #308 Trend ↑ Rising 30%

From Latin Octāvia, feminine form of the gens name Octāvius, from octavus (“the eighth”).

Rank 2025
#308
among girls · ↓14 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
982
named Octavia · -9% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,637
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2021
1,238 babies
All-time total
24,117
#943 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Octavia popularity over time

24,117 babies have been named Octavia since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 289 – 289 29 – #306
1890s 404 – 404 40 +40% #416
1900s 491 – 491 49 +22% #434
1910s 802 – 802 80 +63% #509
1920s 846 7 853 85 +6% #682
1930s 524 – 524 52 -39% #780
1940s 421 – 421 42 -20% #1,160
1950s 665 – 665 67 +58% #1,132
1960s 849 – 849 85 +28% #1,006
1970s 1,629 43 1,672 167 +97% #744
1980s 3,053 66 3,119 312 +87% #485
1990s 3,005 23 3,028 303 -3% #590
2000s 1,492 – 1,492 149 -51% #1,064
2010s 2,917 – 2,917 292 +96% #371
2020s (to 2025) 6,591 – 6,591 1,099 +277% #247

Where Octavia is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 1,026 0.64 #300
2027 1,065 0.66 #288
2028 1,100 0.68 #280
2029 1,130 0.70 #276
2030 1,156 0.72 #269

Where Octavia is most popular

Girls named Octavia per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.698 per 1,000. Strongest in Vermont, Wyoming, and West Virginia.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Octavia born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Vermont 32 6.60 +846%
Wyoming 18 4.22 +505%
West Virginia 106 4.04 +480%
Maine 54 3.49 +400%
South Dakota 40 2.80 +302%
Montana 34 2.51 +260%
North Dakota 33 2.51 +260%
Alaska 19 2.21 +216%
Idaho 72 2.15 +208%
New Hampshire 39 2.11 +203%
Arkansas 110 2.08 +198%
Kentucky 178 2.08 +198%
Indiana 289 2.06 +195%
New Mexico 50 2.06 +195%
Oregon 125 1.92 +175%
Iowa 107 1.83 +162%
Missouri 211 1.75 +151%
Oklahoma 121 1.64 +136%
Ohio 381 1.61 +130%
Nebraska 55 1.53 +119%
Wisconsin 148 1.44 +106%
Michigan 245 1.35 +93%
Kansas 76 1.32 +89%
Utah 109 1.31 +88%
Tennessee 202 1.28 +83%
Washington 176 1.22 +75%
Pennsylvania 287 1.21 +74%
Colorado 133 1.19 +71%
Minnesota 116 1.07 +54%
Nevada 37 0.797 +14%
Arizona 109 0.777 +11%
Louisiana 64 0.731 +5%
Alabama 66 0.703 ≈ national
Illinois 145 0.633 -9%
New York 244 0.616 -12%
North Carolina 140 0.615 -12%
Virginia 104 0.610 -13%
South Carolina 49 0.545 -22%
Florida 231 0.540 -23%
Maryland 48 0.453 -35%
Massachusetts 54 0.447 -36%
Texas 351 0.436 -37%
Hawaii 5 0.436 -37%
Georgia 87 0.383 -45%
California 219 0.261 -63%
Connecticut 15 0.258 -63%
Mississippi 10 0.214 -69%
New Jersey 33 0.183 -74%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Rhode Island – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Octavia

Octavia is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #308 in 2025 with 982 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 24,117 American babies have been named Octavia. Its peak came in 2021, when 1,238 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Octavia stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Octavia?

The median living Octavia is about 21 years old; half are between 4 and 39. An estimated 20 thousand people named Octavia are alive in the United States today.

median 21 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Octavia year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 982 #308 – –
2024 1,074 #294 – –
2023 1,129 #279 – –
2022 1,238 #247 – –
2021 1,238 #248 – –
2020 930 #334 – –
2019 852 #371 – –
2018 737 #427 – –
2017 505 #595 – –
2016 260 #1,019 – –
2015 175 #1,361 – –
2014 71 #2,531 – –
2013 73 #2,481 – –
2012 81 #2,332 – –
2011 72 #2,530 – –
2010 91 #2,162 – –
2009 109 #1,928 – –
2008 117 #1,842 – –
2007 95 #2,127 – –
2006 130 #1,638 – –
2005 162 #1,348 – –
2004 140 #1,457 – –
2003 165 #1,269 – –
2002 196 #1,088 – –
2001 183 #1,144 – –
2000 195 #1,064 – –
1995 269 #757 – –
1990 365 #618 11 #4,902
1985 306 #619 – –
1980 188 #833 9 #4,398
1975 194 #744 – –
1970 115 #1,066 – –
1965 83 #1,183 – –
1960 61 #1,414 – –
1955 59 #1,316 – –
1950 50 #1,298 – –
1945 44 #1,205 – –
1940 34 #1,288 – –
1935 42 #1,083 – –
1930 56 #989 – –
1925 74 #869 – –
1920 114 #682 7 #3,724
1915 63 #825 – –
1910 65 #509 – –
1905 53 #471 – –
1900 54 #462 – –
1895 38 #476 – –
1890 32 #465 – –
1885 24 #437 – –
1880 27 #306 – –

Famous people named Octavia

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Octavia Spencer Octavia Spencer American actress (born 1970) b. 1972 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Octavia E. Butler Octavia E. Butler American science fiction writer (1947–2006) Contemporary
  3. 3 Octavia the Younger Octavia the Younger Roman noblewoman, full-sister of Augustus -69–-11 · Antiquity
  4. 4 Octavia the Elder Roman woman -100–-60 · Antiquity

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Octavia, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Octavia?

The median living Octavia is about 21 years old. Half of all living Octavias are between 4 and 39 years old.

How many people named Octavia are alive today?

An estimated 20 thousand people named Octavia are alive in the United States, based on 24,117 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Octavia mean?

From Latin Octāvia, feminine form of the gens name Octāvius, from octavus (“the eighth”).

How popular is the name Octavia in 2025?

Octavia ranked #308 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 982 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Octavia?

24,117 babies have been named Octavia in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Octavia most popular?

Octavia peaked in 2021, when 1,238 newborns received the name.

Is Octavia a boy or girl name?

Octavia is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 99% of babies with the name.

Is the name Octavia rising or falling?

Octavia is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Octavia become more popular?

Octavia is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,156 girls named Octavia in 2030, which would rank around #269. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Octavia?

Well-known people named Octavia include Octavia Spencer (actor), Octavia E. Butler (writer), Octavia the Younger (politician).

Names like Octavia

Names that sound and feel close to Octavia: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Octavia with similar names → More names starting with O →