Total births
129
Boys' name · since 1980
Otniel
129 babies named Otniel in U.S. Social Security records since 1980, with the highest year being 2018. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #11279
- among boys today
- 129
- born since 1980
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 21%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Otniel is the #11279 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 129 recorded since 1980.
Otniel has 129 recorded births among boys since 1980, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #11279 as of the latest data, more common than 21% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1980 to 2024.
- #11279 among boys today
- 129 born since 1980
- 2010s peak decade
- 21% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Otniel is currently the #11279 boys' name in America, more common than 21% of boys - 129 born since 1980, peaking in the 2010s.
- #11279
- among boys today
- 129
- born since 1980
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 21%
- more common than other boys
Otniel vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#11279
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 21% of names given to boys today.
2010s
Peak decade
31% of everyone ever named Otniel was born in this single decade.
2018
Single peak year
22 babies were named Otniel in 2018 - its busiest year on record.
How Otniel compares
129 30th percentile among 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
Otniel's all-time total is 65% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Otniel | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 129 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 22 | 23 | 22,252 |
Otniel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Otniel splits its recorded history at 2005: 58% of all births land in the more recent half, 42% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1985 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2018 peak of 22 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Otniel at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2018
Current rank
#11,279
Active since
1980
Otniel popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1980–2024
- Peak year (2018)
- 22
- Annual births at peak, across 45 years of records
Otniel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Otniel's strongest decade.
40 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Otniel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 12
1980s
12 births
- 1990s
1990s
36 births
- 2000s
2000s
30 births
- 2010s
2010s
40 births
- 2020s 11
2020s
11 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 40 births (31% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Otniel? ▼
Since 1980, Social Security records show 129 babies named Otniel. Today it holds rank #11279 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2018, with 22 births.
When was Otniel most popular? ▼
Otniel was most popular in the 2010s decade with 40 total births. The single peak year was 2018.
How long has the name Otniel been used? ▼
Otniel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1980, spanning 45 years of data through 2024.
What to do with Otniel's data
- Otniel's decade-level peak was the 2010s (40 total births); usage has since declined to 11 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- 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 Otniel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Otniel
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, 1980–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Otniel: #11279 Boys' Name - 129 Births, Peak 2018." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/otniel. 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 Otniel 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.