Fun Facts About the Name Othman
- 537 babies named Othman: U.S. records list 537 babies given the name Othman from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Othman Mean?
Othman is an Arabic name, written ʿUthmān (عثمان) in Arabic script, and the meaning most often given for it is "young bustard" - the chick of the ḥubārā, a large bird of the dry plains. Arabic dictionaries record ʿuthmān as the word for that bird's young, and this is the standard explanation of the name. Those same dictionaries also list ʿuthmān as a term for a kind of snake, and the root ʿ-ṯ-m carries other senses as well, so the derivation is not completely settled. The spelling "Othman" is one English transliteration of the same Arabic name; "Uthman" reflects another transliteration convention, and the Turkish form is Osman.
Othman Name History & Origins
The name is old in Arabic. ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, born in Mecca around 576 into the Umayyad clan of the Quraysh, became the third caliph, ruling from 644 until his death in 656; because he was born before the rise of Islam, his name shows that ʿUthmān was already in use among Arabs in the pre-Islamic period. Islamic tradition remembers him as the caliph under whom the written text of the Qur'an was collected and standardized, and it gives him the epithet Dhū al-Nūrayn, "Possessor of the Two Lights," because he married two daughters of Muhammad. Muslim parents have used the name widely since then, and it travelled wherever Arabic and Islam spread.
In Turkish the name became Osman. Osman I, who ruled from about 1299 to 1326 and founded the dynasty known in the West as the Ottomans (Osmanlı), bore it; the English word "Ottoman" is a European rendering of that same name rather than a separate word. Other regional forms include Usman in South Asia, Ousmane in West Africa, and Athumani in East Africa. "Othman" itself is simply an English and French-influenced spelling of the Arabic original.
How Popular is the Name Othman?
Othman 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 2022. Its best rank was #2,816 in 2022.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,427 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 2024 | #4,031 | 27 | 0.0016% |
| 2023 | #3,530 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2022 | #2,816 | 46 | 0.0026% |
| 2021 | #3,627 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 2020 | #4,238 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2019 | #4,200 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2018 | #5,718 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2017 | #5,996 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2016 | #5,086 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #6,977 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #4,658 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2013 | #4,427 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2012 | #7,414 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #5,874 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2010 | #7,973 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #8,139 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #10,726 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #9,525 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #7,853 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #8,130 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #6,053 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2003 | #5,794 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #10,316 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #5,928 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #6,697 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #6,380 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #10,853 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #4,402 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #8,713 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #7,578 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #9,851 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #6,014 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #7,978 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #8,186 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #7,083 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #6,580 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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 Othman 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.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Othman's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Othman's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.