Othniel
Masculine · “God is my strength”
Othniel is the first judge of Israel — and the Hebrew is generally read as 'God is my strength' or 'lion of God'.
How old is the name Othniel?
Othniel first appears in US birth records in 1924 — 101 years ago. The typical Othniel is a kid of about 8 — this name's wave is very recent. About 700 people named Othniel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Othniel most popular?
Othniel peaked in 2018, reaching #2167 nationally. Today it ranks #2718, 551 places below that high. See the whole 2018 chart.
Where it comes from
From Otni'el to Othniel
The story of Othniel
Judges names Othniel as the first of the judges, delivering Israel after the death of Joshua; he wins his wife by taking a city, and she then asks her father for springs of water to go with the dry land she has been given — a small, sharp exchange. The name is in current American use.
Meaningscholars disagree
God is my strength
From the Hebrew Otni'el, generally read from a root meaning 'force' or 'strength', with El, 'God'. A reading as 'lion of God' is also given. The first element is not firmly established. The El element is settled.
How the name formed
- Otni'el
- Othniel
Related forms: עתניאל · Otoniel
Pronouncing Othniel
OTH-nee-el
Three syllables, stress on the first. Hebrew stresses the last, ot-nee-EL.
Nicknames for Othniel
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
- 1924
- Most boys named
- 201864 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2167reached in 2018
- Change vs 2024
- +56.7%47 in 2025, from 30
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.
Othniel in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- עתניאל in Hebrew — transliteration
- Otoniel in Spanish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, New Jersey.
Othniels among us
people named Othniel are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 36,342 born in 2025 was named Othniel
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 Johndavid test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Othniel's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Johndavid climbed just as high around 1982, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Johndavid's path sketches the road Othniel is walking now.
Othniel 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 Othniel is headed
Othniel is easing off slowly — about 15% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low 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.
Othniel beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Othniel in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That his wife asks her father for springs to go with dry land is a first-rate detail.
- The first judge of Israel carries it.
- The -el ending places it in a large and dignified family.
- The first element is genuinely disputed.
- It is genuinely rare and will be asked about.
- The thn cluster is awkward in English.
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What they receive
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Othniel
Masculine · #2718 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Othniels are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Othniel are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Othniel in 2025?
- Othniel ranks #2718 among US boy names in 2025, with 47 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Othniel?
- About 1 in every 36,342 US boys born in 2025 was named Othniel — 47 in all.
- Will my child share the name Othniel with classmates?
- Othniel will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Othniel
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Einar#2718 · Kurtis#2718 · Sasha#2718 · Jovany#2718 · Ahsan#2718 · Xavien#2718 · Yassin#2718 · Unknown#2718
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Othniel? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Othniel 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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