Octavian
Masculine · “eighth”
Octavian means eighth, and the man who took the name ended the Roman Republic and became Augustus.
How old is the name Octavian?
Octavian first appears in US birth records in 1970 — 55 years ago. The typical Octavian alive today was born around 2011, making them about 14 years old. About 1,500 people named Octavian are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Octavian most popular?
Octavian peaked in 2021, reaching #2157 nationally. Today it ranks #2572, 415 places below that high. See the whole 2021 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From octo to Octavian
The story of Octavian
Gaius Octavius took Caesar's name after the assassination and was called Octavianus by later writers; he became Augustus and the first emperor. So the man who ended the Republic began with a number for a name. October kept its position when the calendar shifted. It appears in American records in current use.
Meaning
eighth
From the Latin Octavianus, 'of the Octavii', from octavus, 'eighth', from octo. Roman practice of naming later children by number is documented — Quintus is fifth, Decimus tenth. The Latin is ordinary and the reading undisputed.
How the name formed
- octo
- octavus
- Octavianus
- Octavian
Related forms: Octavianus · Octavian · Octaviano
Pronouncing Octavian
ok-TAY-vee-un
Four syllables, stress on the second. Romanian says ok-tah-vee-AHN.
Nicknames for Octavian
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1970
- Most boys named
- 202166 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2157reached in 2021
- Change vs 2024
- −20.3%51 in 2025, from 64
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Octavian in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Octavianus in Latin — related form
- Octavian in Romanian — same name
- Octaviano in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Arizona.
Octavians among us
people named Octavian are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 33,492 born in 2025 was named Octavian
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Sharrod test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Octavian's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Sharrod climbed just as high around 1979, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Sharrod's path sketches the road Octavian is walking now.
Octavian 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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Octavian is headed
Octavian should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Octavian beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Octavian in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the first Roman emperor was named with a number is a first-rate fact.
- The October connection explains a real calendar oddity.
- It is standard in Romanian without change.
- Four syllables make it very long for everyday use.
- The meaning is simply a number.
- It reads as strongly classical.
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What they receive
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Octavian
Masculine · #2572 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Octavians are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 1,500 people named Octavian are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Octavian in 2025?
- Octavian ranks #2572 among US boy names in 2025, with 51 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Octavian?
- About 1 in every 33,492 US boys born in 2025 was named Octavian — 51 in all.
- Will my child share the name Octavian with classmates?
- Octavian will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Octavian
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Ripp#2572 · Efraim#2572 · Willem#2572 · Duane#2572 · Nikolaos#2572 · Nicolai#2572 · Zair#2572 · Parth#2572
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Octavian? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Octavian and another name?
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Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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