Total births
450
Boys' name · since 1880
Octave
Octave has 450 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1918 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #10946
- among boys today
- 450
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Octave is the #10946 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 450 recorded since 1880.
Octave has 450 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #10946 as of the latest data, more common than 23% of boys, busiest in the 1920s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2024.
- #10946 among boys today
- 450 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 23% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Octave is currently the #10946 boys' name in America, more common than 23% of boys - 450 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #10946
- among boys today
- 450
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 23%
- more common than other boys
Octave vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#10946
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 23% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
22% of everyone ever named Octave was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
18 babies were named Octave in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Octave compares
450 Top 46% higher than 54% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Octave's all-time total is 23% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Octave | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 450 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 18 | 23 | 22,252 |
Octave's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Octave's full recorded timeline at 1927, 42% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 58% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1898, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1918 peak of 18 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Octave at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1918
Current rank
#10,946
Active since
1880
Octave popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2024
- Peak year (1918)
- 18
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Octave by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Octave's strongest decade.
97 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Octave births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
47 births
- 1890s 33
1890s
33 births
- 1900s 20
1900s
20 births
- 1910s
1910s
94 births
- 1920s
1920s
97 births
- 1930s
1930s
76 births
- 1940s
1940s
41 births
- 1950s 15
1950s
15 births
- 1960s 21
1960s
21 births
- 2020s 6
2020s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 97 births (22% of all-time use).
Octave by state
Where Octave concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Louisiana | | 149 | 33.1% |
Louisiana share of Octave's total US births 33.1%
149 of 450 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Octave? ▼
Octave has been given to 450 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #10946 as of the latest data. 18 babies were born in 1918, its single highest year.
When was Octave most popular? ▼
Octave was most popular in the 1920s decade with 97 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Octave most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Octave are Louisiana (149 births).
How long has the name Octave been used? ▼
Octave has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Octave? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Octavio, Octavius, Octavious, Octavian, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Octave's data
- Octave's decade-level peak was the 1920s (97 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Louisiana records the most Octaves (149 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Louisiana names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Octave
Nearby Names Like Octave
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Octave
Octavio Boy
#1365 11,449 births
Octavius Boy
#2000 3,687 births
Octavious Boy
#6875 1,669 births
Octavian Boy
#2245 1,481 births
Octaviano Boy
689 births
Compare Octave side by side: Octave vs Octavio Octave vs Octavius Octave vs Octavious
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Octave
Hermann #10945
731 births · Peak 1916
Florence #10947
1,454 births · Peak 1925
Alois #10944
2,525 births · Peak 1918
Harman #10948
1,049 births · Peak 2008
Thornton #10943
3,132 births · Peak 1921
Mal #10949
343 births · Peak 1950
Phil #10942
20,036 births · Peak 1959
Toney #10950
6,416 births · Peak 1961
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Octave: #10946 Boys' Name - 450 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/octave. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Octave draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.