Odetta
Feminine · “From Germanic od”
Odetta is the Italian-looking form of Odette, an old Germanic name for wealth, and in America it belongs above all to one voice: the folk singer Odetta, whom Martin Luther King Jr. called the queen of American folk music. Three syllables, stately and warm.
How old is the name Odetta?
Odetta first appears in US birth records in 1900 — 125 years ago. The typical Odetta alive today was born around 1933, making them about 92 years old. About 300 people named Odetta are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Odetta most popular?
Odetta peaked in 1933, reaching #1773 nationally. See the whole 1933 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Oda to Odetta
The story of Odetta
Odette came through medieval French from the Germanic Oda, and Odetta is its Italianate form. In Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake the princess Odette, turned into a swan, has a dark double, Odile, sent to deceive the prince, and by tradition one ballerina dances both. Odetta Holmes, born in Alabama and raised in Los Angeles, trained as a classical singer and turned to folk song; her deep, powerful voice shaped a generation of musicians, and in 1963 she sang at the March on Washington. The name was already in American use at the start of the twentieth century.
Meaning
From Germanic od, 'wealth, fortune'
Odette and Odetta are diminutives of the Germanic name Oda, built on od, 'wealth, prosperity'.
How the name formed
- Oda
- Odette
- Odetta
Related forms: Odette · Oda · Odetta
Pronouncing Odetta
oh-DET-uh
Three syllables with the stress on the second.
Nicknames for Odetta
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
- 1900
- Most girls named
- 192222 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1773reached in 1933
- Change vs 2022
- 0.0%5 in 2024, from 5
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.
Odetta in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Odette in French — same name
- Oda in German — related form
- Odetta in Italian — same name
Odettas among us
people named Odetta are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Odetta sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- A settled Germanic meaning.
- Carries one of the great voices of American music.
- Rare, so an Odetta is unlikely to share her name.
- People will hear Odette and may drop the final a.
- It reads as an older name to many.
- For some listeners the singer is so strongly tied to the name that they will ask about her.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Odetta to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Odetta? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Odetta
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Odettas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 300 people named Odetta are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Odetta in 2025?
- Odetta is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Odetta with classmates?
- Odetta will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More O names
The most-given names starting with O, all years combined.
Olivia#1 · Opal#423 · Olive#197 · Olga#3167 · Ollie#2276 · Ora#3712 · Ola#7885 · Ophelia#264
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Odetta? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Odetta and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle