Head to head · Boys' names
Omari vs Ozias
#686 vs #707 in 2025
Omari is a whisker ahead (#686 vs #707 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Omari is stepping back from its peak, Ozias is climbing the charts fast. On momentum, Ozias has the edge.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Omari leads 4 measures of 6; Ozias leads 2.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1920s: Omari —, Ozias #4008 — Ozias higher
- 1970s: Omari #1648, Ozias — — Omari higher
- 1980s: Omari #1205, Ozias — — Omari higher
- 1990s: Omari #1083, Ozias — — Omari higher
- 2000s: Omari #693, Ozias #6385 — Omari higher
- 2010s: Omari #595, Ozias #2813 — Omari higher
- 2020s: Omari #567, Ozias #1059 — Omari higher
Omari stood higher in 6 of 7 decades; Omari has held the lead since the 1970s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Omari | Ozias |
|---|---|---|
| 1920s | — | #4008 |
| 1970s | #1648 | — |
| 1980s | #1205 | — |
| 1990s | #1083 | — |
| 2000s | #693 | #6385 |
| 2010s | #595 | #2813 |
| 2020s | #567 | #1059 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Omari
flourishing, long-lived
The name traces to the Arabic root ʿ-m-r, tied to ʿumr, 'life, lifespan' — hence the usual reading of thriving or long-lived. Some baby-name lists attach unrelated glosses to the Swahili spelling; the Arabic derivation is the documented one.
ʿUmar → Omar → Omari
How it traveled
The parent name is Arabic ʿUmar, borne by the second caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, in the seventh century — which made it one of the most widely given names in the Muslim world. Swahili, the trade language of the East African coast, reshaped many Arabic names to fit its own sound pattern, and ʿUmar became Omari, standard in Tanzania and Kenya to this day.
Ozias
Yahweh is my strength
From Hebrew ʿoz, 'strength', joined to a short form of the divine name.
Uzziyyahu → Uzziah → Ozias → Ozías
How it traveled
The name begins as Hebrew Uzziyyahu, borne by a king of Judah in the eighth century BC. When Jewish scholars in Alexandria translated the scriptures into Greek, they rendered it Ozias, and that Greek spelling passed into the Latin Vulgate, into the Book of Judith, and into the King James New Testament, where Ozias stands in the line of descent from Abraham.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Omari
oh-MAR-ee
Stress falls on the middle syllable. A flatter OH-mah-ree is also heard, closer to the Swahili rhythm, where syllables carry more evenly.
- Omar — The parent form, and a full given name in its own right worldwide — expect some people to shorten to it by reflex.
- O — Informal, initial-based, common among friends and teammates.
- Mari — Informal clipping of the last two syllables; also stands alone as a given name in several languages.
- Ari — Informal; independently established as a given name, which can cause a little confusion.
Ozias
oh-ZY-uhs
The traditional English reading, following the King James Bible, is oh-ZY-uhs. Many families say oh-ZEE-uhs instead, and Spanish-speaking households usually say o-SEE-as, written Ozías. All three are in genuine use, so it is worth deciding early which one you will correct people toward.
- Oz — The obvious one-syllable shortening; informal, and used as a standalone nickname for several O-names.
- Ozzie — Informal; also reaches boys independently through Oswald, Osborne and Oscar, so it is not exclusive to this name.
- Ozzy — Same short form with the spelling made familiar by the musician Ozzy Osbourne.
- Zi — Informal family shortening taken from the middle of the name rather than the front.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Omari if you want…
- a name most people already know#686 in 2025, 397 babies that year
- a name past its most crowded yearsOmari is stepping back from its peak
Choose Ozias if you want…
- a name fewer children share#707 in 2025 — ozias will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name on the way upup 893 places on the charts in five years
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Omari
Strengths
- Reads correctly on first sight for most English speakers — three plain syllables, no silent letters, one obvious spelling.
- Already familiar by association with Omar, so it needs no explaining while remaining distinct.
- Works across Arabic, Swahili, Turkish and English-speaking settings, with a recognized equivalent in each.
To consider
- Amari is a well-established name in the US and sounds close enough that mix-ups on rosters, in email and over the phone are likely. Worth deciding early how much correcting you want to do.
- People who know Omar will often default to it, so the fuller form may need repeating — friendly, but persistent.
- Through its Arabic root the name carries a strong association with early Islamic history. Many families choose it purely for its East African form, but some listeners will read a religious signal into it.
Ozias
Strengths
- Documented in continuous written use for well over two thousand years, from the Hebrew scriptures through Greek and Latin into English Bibles.
- Shortens cleanly to Oz or Ozzie, both already established as everyday nicknames.
- Written almost identically in English, Spanish and Portuguese, so it crosses between those households without respelling.
To consider
- Three pronunciations circulate — oh-ZY-uhs, oh-ZEE-uhs, and the Spanish o-SEE-as — so introductions will often include a correction. Choosing one and using it consistently saves a lot of small repairs.
- It will be misheard and rewritten as Osias, Ozzias, Josias or Hosea by people meeting it for the first time, especially over the phone.
- The short form Oz comes attached to the Wizard of Oz and to Ozzy Osbourne. Neither is a problem, but they will be the first things some people mention.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Omari
40%chance Omari feels dated by 2040
Omari sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
Ozias
59%chance Ozias feels dated by 2040
Ozias is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Omari and Ozias in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Omari and Ozias?
Put both to the vote.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
Where Omari and Ozias each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Omari or Ozias — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Omari or Ozias?
- Omari, in 2025: Omari ranked #686 with 397 babies; Ozias ranked #707 with 381 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Omari or Ozias?
- Ozias. Over the last five years Omari moved down 187 places; Ozias moved up 893 places.
- Which is the older name, Omari or Ozias?
- Omari entered the US charts in 1971; Ozias entered the US charts in 1920. On the American record, Ozias is the older name.
- How many people are named Omari and Ozias?
- About 13,000 people named Omari are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 2,000 people named Ozias are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Omaris or Oziass in the classroom?
- Omari will almost certainly be the only one in school. Ozias will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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