Fun Facts About the Name Odean
- 728 babies named Odean: U.S. records list 728 babies given the name Odean from 1880 through 2025. Even 351 boys received the name Odean.
What Does the Name Odean Mean?
The meaning of Odean is not documented with certainty. It is a rare name whose form suggests an American construction rather than a inherited one, and two explanations are usually offered. The first treats it as the initial O- joined to the name Dean. Dean comes from an English surname with two possible roots: Old English denu, meaning "valley," used for a person who lived in one, and the church title dean, from Latin decanus, "leader of ten." Under this reading Odean would carry whichever sense of Dean the bearer's family intended. The second explanation treats Odean as a respelling of Oden, a name related to Old Norse Óðinn, from óðr, "frenzy" or "inspiration." These two explanations point to unrelated origins, and no early record settles which one, if either, lies behind the name. Its literal meaning therefore remains uncertain.
Odean Name History & Origins
Odean is recorded as a given name and a surname in the United States. Its structure fits a familiar American pattern: an initial O- attached to a shorter name or word, as in Ola, Olen, Oleta, Odell, and Otha. That pattern does not by itself establish an origin, and the O- here should not be confused with the Irish patronymic Ó, which marks descent from a named ancestor in names such as O'Brien and O'Neill. Irish Ó names normally carry a written apostrophe and a documented Gaelic root; Odean has neither.
Because the name is uncommon, its history rests mainly on individual bearers rather than on a long written tradition. The jazz saxophonist Odean Pope, born in South Carolina in 1938, is a well-known American bearer, and the name also appears as a family surname in the United States. Such individual uses show how the name has circulated, but they do not establish its etymology or an earlier European form.
How Popular is the Name Odean?
Odean has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1922. Its best rank was #1,769 in 1922.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | #7,040 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1951 | #5,260 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #5,892 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #4,519 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1947 | #3,637 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1944 | #5,066 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #2,810 | 12 | 0.0009% |
| 1942 | #4,494 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #3,485 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1938 | #3,384 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1937 | #3,097 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1936 | #4,698 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1935 | #3,359 | 8 | 0.0008% |
| 1934 | #2,887 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1933 | #2,824 | 10 | 0.0010% |
| 1932 | #2,605 | 12 | 0.0011% |
| 1931 | #2,179 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1930 | #2,185 | 16 | 0.0014% |
| 1929 | #2,544 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1928 | #2,729 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1927 | #2,003 | 20 | 0.0017% |
| 1926 | #3,477 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1925 | #3,299 | 10 | 0.0008% |
| 1924 | #1,978 | 21 | 0.0017% |
| 1923 | #2,142 | 18 | 0.0015% |
| 1922 | #1,769 | 24 | 0.0020% |
| 1921 | #1,969 | 21 | 0.0017% |
| 1920 | #2,849 | 12 | 0.0010% |
| 1919 | #4,659 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1918 | #2,475 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1917 | #3,292 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1916 | #2,213 | 15 | 0.0014% |
| 1915 | #3,699 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1914 | #2,577 | 9 | 0.0012% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | #3,912 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #3,539 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #4,480 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #3,815 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #2,743 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1954 | #3,108 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1951 | #3,270 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1948 | #3,573 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1947 | #3,281 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1946 | #3,423 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #3,459 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1942 | #3,461 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1941 | #2,060 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1940 | #2,058 | 13 | 0.0011% |
| 1939 | #3,382 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1938 | #2,435 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1937 | #1,970 | 14 | 0.0013% |
| 1936 | #2,572 | 9 | 0.0009% |
| 1935 | #4,016 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1934 | #2,358 | 11 | 0.0011% |
| 1933 | #1,976 | 14 | 0.0014% |
| 1932 | #2,168 | 13 | 0.0012% |
| 1931 | #1,904 | 16 | 0.0015% |
| 1930 | #1,798 | 18 | 0.0016% |
| 1929 | #2,554 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1928 | #2,792 | 10 | 0.0009% |
| 1927 | #2,267 | 14 | 0.0012% |
| 1926 | #3,073 | 9 | 0.0008% |
| 1925 | #2,703 | 11 | 0.0010% |
| 1924 | #2,029 | 17 | 0.0015% |
| 1923 | #2,004 | 17 | 0.0016% |
| 1922 | #3,457 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1921 | #4,200 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #3,648 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1918 | #4,622 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1916 | #3,414 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1915 | #3,297 | 7 | 0.0008% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Odean Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You are patient, persevering and strong willed. You are a good student, absorbing knowledge easily and retaining it well. You are either a saint or a sinner. You tend to hold things inside and suffer in silence. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Odean's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Odean's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.