Omri Name Meaning, Origins & History

Omri

Pronunciation: AHM-ree / AHM-rye

Meaning Servant of God Origin Hebrew Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#3,567
TREND
435
GIRLS RANK
#12,849
TREND
2,001

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Omri in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Omri

  • 938 babies named Omri: U.S. records list 938 babies given the name Omri from 1880 through 2025. Even 43 girls received the name Omri - about 1 girl for every 21 boys.

What Does the Name Omri Mean?

Omri is a Hebrew name, usually explained as "my sheaf," that is, a sheaf or bundle of cut grain. It is formed from the biblical Hebrew noun ʿomer (עֹמֶר), which means a sheaf of grain and is also used as a unit of dry measure, together with the first-person singular possessive ending -i (י). Read that way, the name means "my sheaf."

The derivation is probable rather than certain. In Biblical Hebrew the root עמר is associated with binding sheaves, so the name is sometimes understood more loosely as a harvest or reaping image instead of a literal possession. "My sheaf" is the customary explanation, but it is not the only one proposed, and the meaning is best treated as uncertain in its details.

Omri Name History & Origins

In the Hebrew Bible, Omri is best known as a king of the northern Kingdom of Israel in the first half of the ninth century BCE. According to 1 Kings, he was the army commander proclaimed king by his troops after Zimri killed King Elah. He then fought a civil war against Tibni son of Ginath and prevailed, founding a dynasty that passed to his son Ahab and afterward to Ahaziah and Jehoram.

His reign is tied to the founding of Samaria as the Israelite capital. Omri bought the hill from its owner, Shemer, for two talents of silver and built a city on it, named Samaria (Shomron) after Shemer rather than after Omri (1 Kings 16:24).

Omri also appears in sources outside the Bible. The Moabite Stone (Mesha Stele), a ninth-century BCE inscription, refers to "Omri king of Israel" and to his domination of Moab. Later Assyrian records called the kingdom of Israel Bit-Humri, the "House of Omri," even after his dynasty had fallen, so the founder's name became the standard Assyrian label for the kingdom.

Two minor figures named Omri appear elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible: a Benjaminite listed among the sons of Becher (1 Chronicles 7:8) and Omri son of Michael, a chief of Issachar in David's administration (1 Chronicles 27:18). In 1 Kings, Omri is also judged harshly for the religious practices of his reign, said to have done more evil than the kings before him (1 Kings 16:25).

The name has remained in use as a Jewish given name and is a familiar name in modern Israel. In English-language fiction, Omri is the boy at the center of Lynne Reid Banks's 1980 children's novel The Indian in the Cupboard.

How Popular is the Name Omri?

Omri 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 2021. Its best rank was #2,717 in 2021.

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.

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 Omri 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.

You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.

✦ Omri's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Omri's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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