Odysseus
2025 SSA
Below 5 births
About Odysseus
The name of the brave, resourceful hero of Homer's epic saga, Odysseus is associated with hatching the Trojan Horse plot, and with his long and challenging journey home to his kingdom. Possibly meaning "to hate" or "wrathful", the exact etymology is unknown, with some scholars suggesting it was drawn from a non-Greek source.
Odysseus for boys#2870 US
The wrathful meaning, however, likely comes from Homer's Odyssey, in which Odysseus's grandfather names him to reflect his own feelings towards life.
A weighty choice that may once have been dismissed as too out there, Odysseus has, nevertheless been appearing in the US stats since the late 1990s. Given to 44 boys in a recent year, Odysseus is arguably not too dissimilar to Ulysses, Atticus, Ozias, Augustus, and Thaddeus.
Plus, with mythological names in vogue and the 2026 movie The Odyssey making it far more familiar, perhaps coming years will see Odysseus climb higher.
Nicknames could be Odie or Ozzy.
Odysseus for girls
Grimes may have named her daughter Exa Dark Sideræl, but it wasn't her top choice. "A girl named Odysseus is my dream," she told reporters. Now that Grimes put it out there as a potential girl name, will parents adopt Odysseus for their daughters? It's already a rising choice for baby boys, more popular than ever before.
With the 2026 movie adaptation of Homer's Odyssey bringing the name more attention, could it truly enter the stats for girls? Possibly, though based on existing data, it's Odyssey itself that parents prefer for daughters.
Pronounced oh-DIS-ee-us.
As of October 2026, Odysseus ranked #2870 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #2828 in 2020.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #3,592 | 30 | 15.6 |
| 2015 | #4,371 | 23 | 12 |
| 2016 | #3,957 | 27 | 14.2 |
| 2017 | #4,198 | 25 | 13.5 |
| 2018 | #3,581 | 31 | 17.1 |
| 2019 | #2,889 | 43 | 24 |
| 2020 | #2,828 | 43 | 24.9 |
| 2021 | #3,159 | 38 | 21.7 |
| 2022 | #3,040 | 41 | 23.5 |
| 2023 | #4,842 | 21 | 12.3 |
| 2024 | #3,131 | 39 | 22.6 |
| 2025 | #2,870 | 44 | 25.8 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Odysseus.
Odysseus on lists
Famous Odysseuss
- Odysseus ElytisBoy
awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature
Odysseus in pop culture
- OdysseusBoy
Greek mythological figure, main character in Homer's "Odyssey"
- Literally translates to "to be angryBoy
to hate"