Oswald

Boy name

Oswald has been given to 4,407 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1916.

Meaning & origin /ˈɒzwəld/

Inherited from Old English Ōsweald, from ōs (“god, deity”) +&lrm; weald (“power”). Cognate with German Answald, Faroese and Icelandic Ásvaldur, and Norwegian Nynorsk Åsvald.

Origin: Old English

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

4,407

Peak year

1916 (107 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +158%

Gender split

All boys

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Oswald.

Albinboy

4,431 babies since 1880

Oranboy

4,447 babies since 1880

Earlyboy

4,362 babies since 1880

Websterboy

4,459 babies since 1880

Clemboy

4,329 babies since 1880

Benjimanboy

4,307 babies since 1880

Richmondboy

4,305 babies since 1880

Hendersonboy

4,293 babies since 1880

Get new name insights first

Occasional updates when we add new data & tools. No spam, unsubscribe anytime by replying to any email or writing to hello@zalize.com.

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. We store only your email address and the date you signed up.