Ozzy
Ozzy was the 549th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 548 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,464 places. More babies were named Ozzy in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning pet form of Oswald or Oscar · English, Old English
Say it AH-zee /ˈɑzi/
- Rank in 2025
- #549 boys, up 500 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 548boys
- Girls and boys
- 12% girls, 88% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025548 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,534babies recorded
What does the name Ozzy mean?
Ozzy is a pet form of Oswald or Oscar, formed by clipping the name and adding -y; Wiktionary also notes it as a nickname for people surnamed Osbourne or Osgood. Oswald is Old English: DMNES explains it as ōs, a god, plus weald, power, and lists the 7th-century king and saint Oswald of Northumbria. Oscar has a separate origin. US records show it as a given name from the early 1980s.
ōs (Old English, “a god”)weald (Old English, “power, rule”)
How sure is this? Probable. Meaning depends on which full name is meant; Oswald's is clearest.
Related names: Oswald, Oscar, Ozzie, Oz.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Ozzy' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Oswald', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Ozzy popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,533 | #549 | 70 | 548 |
| 2020 | #6,269 | #1,049 | 19 | 193 |
| 2010 | — | #2,183 | — | 61 |
| 2000 | — | #2,463 | — | 39 |
| 1990 | — | #4,346 | — | 13 |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Ozzy, counting every spelling?
Ozzy is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #463 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #549 for Ozzy on its own. Together these spellings went to 671 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ozzy | 548 | #549 | 2,372 |
| Ozzie | 123 | #1,455 | 631 |
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 Ozzy?
548 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Ozzy (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Ozzy 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 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Ozzy.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Ozzy?
About 4,100 people born in the US named Ozzy are alive today, with a median age of 5; half are between 3 and 13. That makes Ozzy 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.
Ozzy by state
How common Ozzy was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (3.6×), Idaho (2.8×), Oregon (2.0×), Kentucky (1.9×), Nevada (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Maryland, New Jersey, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Ozzy: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Ozzy, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Ozzy · Sibling names for Ozzy
Ozzy is also a nickname for Oscar.
Questions about the name Ozzy
What does Ozzy mean?
Ozzy means “pet form of Oswald or Oscar” (English, Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Ozzy?
Ozzy was the 549th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 548 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 1,464 places. More babies were named Ozzy in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Ozzy a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 12% girls, 88% boys given the name Ozzy in the US.
Where is Ozzy most popular?
In 2021–2025, Ozzy was most common in Utah (0.98 per 1,000 boys), followed by Idaho and Alaska.