Oz
About Oz
While some may think of ruby slippers and a yellow brick road, Oz is a legitimate Hebrew name denoting power. An element in a number of names including Ozni, Oziel, and Ozias, it may also be used as a stand-alone choice which may appeal to those who enjoy the likes of Ty, Ed, Bo, and Cy.
As an English name, it derives from the Old English os meaning "god" and can be found in names such as Osmond, Osgood, and Osborn.
From its Irish roots, it is a diminutive of Oscar, which is the given name of the Wizard of Oz. In this case, it would come from the Old Irish oss meaning "deer".
As Ozias, Osgood, and Osmond start to sound more cool and less grandpa, and with Ozzy already on the rise, this (even) shorter may begin to feel like a very modern possibility. In fact, 40 boys were given the name Oz in the US in 2023, nearly double the number who received a decade earlier.
Pronounced OZ.
As of October 2026, Oz ranked #3490 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2792 in 2019.
Editor's take: The name Oz is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "strength, powerful, courageous; god's warrior; deer friend".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #3,755 | 28 | 14.6 |
| 2015 | #4,258 | 24 | 12.5 |
| 2016 | #3,861 | 28 | 14.8 |
| 2017 | #3,566 | 31 | 16.7 |
| 2018 | #3,037 | 39 | 21.5 |
| 2019 | #2,792 | 45 | 25.1 |
| 2020 | #3,322 | 34 | 19.7 |
| 2021 | #3,226 | 37 | 21.1 |
| 2022 | #3,392 | 35 | 20 |
| 2023 | #3,098 | 40 | 23.4 |
| 2024 | #3,075 | 40 | 23.2 |
| 2025 | #3,490 | 33 | 19.3 |
World rankings
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Oz.
Oz on lists
Famous Ozs
- Öz Beg Khan (1282–1341)
longest,reigning khan of the Golden Horde
- Oz Almog (born 1956)
Israeli–Austrian artist
- Oz Ifrah (born 1982)
Israeli football player
- Oz Peretz (born 1994)
Israeli footballer
- Oz Raly (born 1987)
Israeli footballer
- Osman "Oz" Bengur (born 1949)
American investment banker and politician
- Richard "Oz" Griebel (born 1949)
American banker, lawyer and politician
- Osgood Robert "Oz" Perkins (born 1974)
American actor
- Osborne "Oz" Scott (born 1949)
American director and television producer
- Oz Fox
stage name of musician Richard Alfonso Martinez of band Stryper
- Mehmet Oz
American surgeon, author, and talk show host
- Frank Oz
American Muppeteer and actor
- Aven
"Neva" spelled backwards for a boy baby
Oz in pop culture
- Oscar Diggs "Oz"
a supposed wizard from The Wizard Of Oz
- "Oz
" a television show about a prison
- Daniel "Oz" Osborne
character on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Oz Vessalius/Bezarius
main character of the anime/manga Pandora Hearts
- Oz (Ozymandias)
character in "When the Wind Blows"
- Oz
character in manga "One Piece"
- Leonard "Oz" Osbourne
a Geordie bricklayer in British TV series "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet"
- Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky
a character in film "The Whole Nine Yards"
- Oz
a playable character in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare's Exo Zombies mode
- Oz
character in TV series, "Canimals"
- Oz / Yellow
character in "Monster Prom"
- The Wizard of Oz
sure to be a prime reference