Odin
Odin was the 502nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 604 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 327th; the most babies were born in 2022 (1,023). Over the last ten years it has moved down 55 places. More babies were named Odin in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning frenzy, inspiration (Norse god) · Old Norse
Say it OH-din /ˈoʊdɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #502 boys, down 171 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 604boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20221,023 babies
- Total since 1880
- 13,282babies recorded
What does the name Odin mean?
Odin is the chief god of Norse mythology, Old Norse Óðinn, the same god as English Woden (as in Wednesday) and German Wotan. Wiktionary traces the name to Proto-Germanic *Wōdanaz, from *wōdaz, "frenzy, inspiration", the ecstatic state linked with poetry and battle. Snorri Sturluson's Prose Edda (13th century) is the main medieval source for his myths.
Óðinn (Old Norse, “Odin”)*wōdaz (Proto-Germanic, “frenzied, inspired”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Woden, Wotan, Oden.
See also: Scandinavian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Odin', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Snorri Sturluson, The Younger Edda (Prose Edda), trans. R. B. Anderson (Project Gutenberg eBook #18947), Project Gutenberg
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Odin', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Odin popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #502 | 604 |
| 2020 | #331 | 992 |
| 2010 | #858 | 247 |
| 2000 | #2,319 | 42 |
| 1990 | #5,694 | 9 |
| 1980 | #5,340 | 7 |
| 1970 | #4,116 | 7 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | #3,503 | 7 |
| 1920 | #2,904 | 10 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Odin, counting every spelling?
Odin is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #444 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #502 for Odin on its own. Together these spellings went to 708 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odin | 604 | #502 | 4,184 |
| Oden | 74 | #2,033 | 422 |
| Odyn | 20 | #4,998 | 123 |
| Odinn | 10 | #8,066 | 42 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Odin?
604 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Odin (0.17 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Odin born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Odin.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Odin?
About 13,000 people born in the US named Odin are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 5 and 12. That makes Odin a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Odin by state
How common Odin was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in South Dakota (5.3×), Maine (5.1×), North Dakota (4.6×), Alaska (4.0×), New Hampshire (3.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Mexico, Georgia, South Carolina.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Odin: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Odin, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Odin · Sibling names for Odin
Questions about the name Odin
What does Odin mean?
Odin means “frenzy, inspiration (Norse god)” (Old Norse origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Odin?
Odin was the 502nd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 604 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 327th; the most babies were born in 2022 (1,023). Over the last ten years it has moved down 55 places. More babies were named Odin in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Odin a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Odin in the US.
Where is Odin most popular?
In 2021–2025, Odin was most common in Wyoming (2.77 per 1,000 boys), followed by South Dakota and Maine.