Ottavio Name Meaning & Historical Trends

Ottavio

Pronunciation: oh-TAH-vee-oh

Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#13,384
TREND
1,460

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 Ottavio in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Ottavio

  • 95 babies named Ottavio: U.S. records list 95 babies given the name Ottavio from 1880 through 2025.

What Does the Name Ottavio Mean?

Ottavio is the Italian form of the Latin family name Octavius, and the meaning customarily given for it is "eighth," from Latin octavus, the ordinal number built on octo, "eight." At Rome, however, Octavius was a nomen gentilicium - a hereditary name shared by the members of a family - so the number reflects the name's likely origin rather than a description of any individual's birth order.

The derivation is not entirely settled. Some scholars have proposed that Octavius is of Etruscan origin, which would make the link to octavus a later Roman association rather than the name's actual source. Latin writers themselves connected the name with the numeral, and that remains the usual explanation, but a definite answer is not available.

Ottavio Name History & Origins

The Octavii were a plebeian family at Rome, and the name is attested during the Roman Republic. Its best-known bearer was Gaius Octavius (63 BC - AD 14), the adopted heir of Julius Caesar. After the adoption he was styled Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus - in English, Octavian - and in 27 BC he received the title Augustus. Because of his place in Roman history, the Latin name became familiar throughout the territories the empire reached, and forms of it appear in many later European languages.

Italian Ottavio continues the Latin Octavius by the regular sound changes of Italian, with the stress on the second syllable. Italian also has Ottaviano, the counterpart of Latin Octavianus, so the two Italian names correspond to the two Latin forms rather than being interchangeable variants of one another. Ottavio is used as a given name in Italy.

Several historical Italians carried the name. Ottavio Farnese (1524 - 1586) was duke of Parma and Piacenza; Ottavio Rinuccini (1562 - 1621) was a poet and librettist whose texts were set to music by Jacopo Peri and Claudio Monteverdi; and Ottavio Piccolomini (1599 - 1656) was an imperial general in the Thirty Years' War.

How Popular is the Name Ottavio?

Ottavio 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 1921. Its best rank was #2,755 in 1921.

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 Ottavio 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.

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