Odali
A name possibly of African origin, its meaning is uncertain.
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Odali. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Odali today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Odali births was 1998 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Odali. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Odali. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
1998
9 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2005 SSA rank
#18,455
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Odali: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Odali from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 23 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Odali remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Odali by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Odali during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Odali
The name Odali is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest Indo-European languages. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "Udaya," which means "sunrise" or "dawn." The name is commonly found in various parts of South Asia, particularly in India and Nepal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Odali can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures. In the Mahabharata, an epic Sanskrit poem believed to have been composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE, there is a character named Udayibhava, which is a variation of the name Odali.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Odali or its variations. One such person was Odali Samantasinghar, a 12th-century Bengali poet and scholar who wrote extensively on philosophy and religion. Another was Udayibhanu Samanta, a 13th-century ruler of the Samanta dynasty in present-day Odisha, India.
In the 16th century, there was an Indian scholar and philosopher named Udayanacharya, who made significant contributions to the field of logic and epistemology. His writings on the nature of knowledge and perception were highly influential in his time.
Moving forward to the 19th century, there was an Indian social reformer and educationist named Udayalal Pandya, who played a pivotal role in promoting women's education and advocating for the abolition of child marriage in British India.
More recently, in the 20th century, there was an Indian actress and dancer named Udayakumar, who gained popularity for her performances in various classical dance forms, particularly Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi.
While the name Odali may not be as common today as it once was, it holds a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in the Indian subcontinent. Its connection to the concept of dawn and new beginnings makes it a unique and meaningful name choice.
People
Odali + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Odali as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Odali: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Odali?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Odali going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Odali a common name?
We classify Odali as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 40 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Odali most popular?
The single biggest year for Odali was 1998, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Odali is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Odali in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Odali a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Odali in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Odali still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Odali in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Odali can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Odali?
Find out how many people have the name Odali on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.