Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1920

Odessa

Gender Girl · 1% boys Rank 2025 #1,197 Trend ↑ Rising 24%

Borrowed from Russian Оде́сса (Odéssa), named after an Ancient Greek settlement thought to have been located nearby.

Rank 2025
#1,197
among girls · ↑390 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
193
named Odessa · +45% vs 2024
How common
1 in 8,328
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1920
470 babies
All-time total
18,718
#1,119 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Odessa popularity over time

18,718 babies have been named Odessa 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
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 204 – 204 20 – #384
1890s 508 – 508 51 +149% #358
1900s 1,183 5 1,188 119 +134% #278
1910s 3,085 35 3,120 312 +163% #280
1920s 4,114 66 4,180 418 +34% #304
1930s 2,436 12 2,448 245 -41% #392
1940s 1,708 5 1,713 171 -30% #479
1950s 1,167 15 1,182 118 -31% #718
1960s 683 – 683 68 -42% #1,112
1970s 505 – 505 51 -26% #1,541
1980s 439 – 439 44 -13% #1,710
1990s 447 16 463 46 +5% #2,446
2000s 544 – 544 54 +17% #2,662
2010s 734 – 734 73 +35% #1,753
2020s (to 2025) 807 – 807 135 +83% #1,197

Where Odessa 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 202 0.13 outside top 500
2027 209 0.13 outside top 500
2028 216 0.13 outside top 500
2029 222 0.14 outside top 500
2030 227 0.14 outside top 500

Where Odessa is most popular

Girls named Odessa per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.083 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, Wisconsin, and Washington.

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 Odessa 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
Oregon 23 0.353 +324%
Wisconsin 25 0.243 +191%
Washington 29 0.201 +141%
Indiana 25 0.178 +114%
Idaho 5 0.149 +79%
Pennsylvania 35 0.148 +78%
Ohio 30 0.126 +52%
North Carolina 26 0.114 +37%
Colorado 11 0.099 +18%
Arizona 13 0.093 +11%
Illinois 18 0.079 -6%
Michigan 13 0.071 -14%
Georgia 16 0.070 -15%
California 59 0.070 -16%
Oklahoma 5 0.068 -18%
Florida 22 0.051 -38%
Virginia 5 0.029 -65%
New York 10 0.025 -70%
Texas 20 0.025 -70%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

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 Odessa

Odessa is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,197 in 2025 with 193 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 18,718 American babies have been named Odessa. Its peak came in 1920, when 470 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Odessa stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Odessa?

The median living Odessa is about 56 years old; half are between 19 and 77. An estimated 6,900 people named Odessa are alive in the United States today.

median 56 020406080100

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

Odessa 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 193 #1,197 – –
2024 133 #1,587 – –
2023 109 #1,847 – –
2022 115 #1,791 – –
2021 126 #1,663 – –
2020 131 #1,603 – –
2019 118 #1,753 – –
2018 112 #1,827 – –
2017 99 #2,002 – –
2016 81 #2,340 – –
2015 75 #2,451 – –
2014 61 #2,834 – –
2013 47 #3,397 – –
2012 46 #3,512 – –
2011 46 #3,487 – –
2010 49 #3,350 – –
2009 44 #3,663 – –
2008 59 #2,986 – –
2007 64 #2,846 – –
2006 52 #3,213 – –
2005 46 #3,355 – –
2004 60 #2,732 – –
2003 59 #2,695 – –
2002 52 #2,879 – –
2001 52 #2,838 – –
2000 56 #2,662 – –
1995 53 #2,446 – –
1990 48 #2,509 – –
1985 38 #2,580 – –
1980 45 #2,239 – –
1975 47 #1,927 – –
1970 39 #2,106 – –
1965 64 #1,386 – –
1960 95 #1,112 – –
1955 103 #988 – –
1950 137 #737 5 #4,051
1945 159 #582 – –
1940 184 #511 – –
1935 224 #430 – –
1930 289 #398 – –
1925 437 #321 9 #3,079
1920 464 #304 6 #4,145
1915 343 #322 – –
1910 194 #280 – –
1905 113 #318 – –
1900 91 #356 – –
1895 51 #396 – –
1890 34 #442 – –
1885 17 #535 – –
1880 14 #464 – –

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Odessa?

The median living Odessa is about 56 years old. Half of all living Odessas are between 19 and 77 years old.

How many people named Odessa are alive today?

An estimated 6,900 people named Odessa are alive in the United States, based on 18,718 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Odessa mean?

Borrowed from Russian Оде́сса (Odéssa), named after an Ancient Greek settlement thought to have been located nearby.

How popular is the name Odessa in 2025?

Odessa ranked #1,197 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 193 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Odessa?

18,718 babies have been named Odessa in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Odessa most popular?

Odessa peaked in 1920, when 470 newborns received the name.

Is Odessa a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Odessa rising or falling?

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

Will Odessa become more popular?

Odessa is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 227 girls named Odessa in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Odessa

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

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