The first name Osborne
A boy’s name from English meaning “god”, “bear”.
Pronounced /ˈɒzbɔː(ɹ)n/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
English origin
Osborne means “god”, “bear” in English.
From a medieval given name influenced by, or possibly derived from, Old Norse Ásbjǫrn, from áss (“god”) + bjǫrn (“bear”). Compare also Old English Ōsbeorn. Components related to Æsir and bear respectively.
More names that mean god.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
Osborne last appeared in the official list in 2016, given to 4 boys.
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Osborne with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Osborne at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 22 boys born in the United States were named Osborne, the 4,663rd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1915, when 47 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Nicknames and spellings
Other spellings and forms
- Ausburn
- Orsburn
- Osborn
- Osbourne
- Ozbun
- Ozburn
- Usborne
Famous people named Osborne
5 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Osborne ReynoldsAnglo-Irish innovator (1842-1912)
- Osborne AndersonAmerican ice hockey player (1908–1989)
- Osborne RiviereDominican politician (1932-2017)
- Edward O. WilsonAmerican biologist, naturalist, and writer (1929–2021)
- Ozzie SmithAmerican professional baseball player, shortstop, born 1954
More English boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Osborne mean?
- Osborne means “god”, “bear” in English.
- What is the origin of the name Osborne?
- From a medieval given name influenced by, or possibly derived from, Old Norse Ásbjǫrn, from áss (“god”) + bjǫrn (“bear”). Compare also Old English Ōsbeorn. Components related to Æsir and bear respectively.
- How popular is the name Osborne?
- In 2016, 4 boys born in England and Wales were named Osborne, ranking 4,023rd.
- Is Osborne a boy's or a girl's name?
- Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 1,754 US babies named Osborne since 1880 were boys.
- When was Osborne most popular?
- 1915 in the United States, when 47 babies were named Osborne, its highest rank at 913th.
- How do you pronounce Osborne?
- Osborne is /ˈɒzbɔː(ɹ)n/, 2 syllables.
- What are other spellings of Osborne?
- Ausburn, Orsburn, Osborn, Osbourne, Ozbun and Ozburn.
- Is Osborne also a surname?
- Yes. Osborne is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.