Odessa
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Odessa
Odessa, (transcribed as Odesa in Ukrainian) is a Ukrainian port city and was given its name by Catherine the Great, who was inspired by Homer's Odyssey. It would make an original and intriguing choice.
Though rare today, Odessa had more U.S. popularity in the past than you might imagine. It actually ranked in the Top 1000 every year from 1880, the year Social Security records began to be kept, through until 1956. Then anti-Russian sentiment during the Cold War took it off the table. Michael Chiklis, onetime Commish, has a daughter named Odessa.
Recent years have seen Odessa receive increased (though quiet) interest again in the US, with 133 girls given the name in the latest count, the highest number of babies called Odessa in a single year since the 60s.
Odessa is also given to boys.
Pronounced oh-DES-uh.
As of October 2026, Odessa ranked #1197 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #278 in 1909, Nameberry popularity #365.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2,834 | 61 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #2,450 | 75 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #2,339 | 81 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #2,002 | 99 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #1,827 | 112 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #1,753 | 118 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #1,602 | 131 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #1,661 | 126 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #1,790 | 115 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #1,846 | 109 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #1,583 | 133 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #1,197 | 193 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Odessa for girls
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Odessa.
Odessa on lists
Famous Odessas
- Odessa ClevelandGirl
American actress
- Odessa Warren GreyGirl
American milliner, entrepreneur, and performer
- Odessa Lee Grady ClayGirl
mother of American boxer Muhammad Ali
- Odessa YoungGirl
Australian actress
- Odessa Zion Segall AdlonGirl
also known as Odessa A'zion, actress and daughter of Pamela Adlon
- Odessa ChiklisGirl
daughter of actor Michael Chiklis
- Odessa PiperGirl
chef
- Jennifer Odessa NettlesGirl
lead singer of American country band Sugarland
Odessa in pop culture
- Odessa GreenGirl
Light, main character in "Odessa Again" by Dana Reinhardt
- Odessa CubbageGirl
minor character in video game "Half,Life 2"
- Odessa DobsonGirl
a character in TV movie The Spoils of Babylon
- OdessaGirl
character in the fantasy series Etheria
- OdessaGirl
recurring character on Into the Badlands
- OdessaGirl
song by Caribou