Girls' name · since 1880
Odessa
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 18,564 babies named Odessa, peaking in 1920. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,119 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,192 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 18,564
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Odessa is the #1192 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 18,564 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Odessa recorded 18,564 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #1192 nationally today, ahead of 93% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,119 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,192 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 18,564 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Odessa ranks #1,119 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,192 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 18,564 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #1,119 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,192 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 18,564
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Odessa's 18,564 recorded births place it above 98.45% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
36 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Odessa compares
18,564 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Odessa's all-time total is 49x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Odessa | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 18,564 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 464 | 21 | 19,840 |
Odessa's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Odessa's full recorded timeline at 1953, 26% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 74% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1882, with just 10 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1920 peak of 464 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Odessa popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 464
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Odessa popularity over time - boys
154 total births recorded since 1908 (Odessa as boys' name)
Odessa by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (4,114 births, 22% of the file).
1920s was Odessa's strongest decade.
4,114 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 22% of all-time use.
Odessa births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 204
1880s
204 births
- 1890s 508
1890s
508 births
- 1900s 1,183
1900s
1,183 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,085 births
- 1920s
1920s
4,114 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,436 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,708 births
- 1950s 1,167
1950s
1,167 births
- 1960s 683
1960s
683 births
- 1970s 505
1970s
505 births
- 1980s 439
1980s
439 births
- 1990s 447
1990s
447 births
- 2000s 544
2000s
544 births
- 2010s 734
2010s
734 births
- 2020s 807
2020s
807 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 4,114 births (22% of all-time use).
How Odessa compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Odessa's total volume
Odessa by state
Where Odessa concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,493 | 8.0% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 1,403 | 7.6% |
| #3 | North Carolina | | 1,313 | 7.1% |
| #4 | Alabama | | 1,066 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 1,030 | 5.5% |
| #6 | South Carolina | | 725 | 3.9% |
| #7 | Arkansas | | 710 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 626 | 3.4% |
1,493 of 18,564 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Odessa appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Odessa? ▼
Where does Odessa sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Odessa most popular? ▼
Where is Odessa most popular? ▼
How long has the name Odessa been used? ▼
What names are similar to Odessa? ▼
What to do with Odessa's data
- Odessa's decade-level peak was the 1920s (4,114 total births); usage has since declined to 807 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Odessas (1,493 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Odessa
Nearby Names Like Odessa
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Odessa
Compare Odessa side by side: Odessa vs Odette Odessa vs Odell Odessa vs Odelia
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Odessa
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Odessa: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1920)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Odessa 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 August 2026.