# Othniel (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/othniel/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Hebrew |
| Meaning | “god” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɒθ.niəl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |
| US babies named this | 715 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 715 / 0 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 223, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Biblical Hebrew עָתְנִיאֵל (ʿOṯnīʾēl), of uncertain meaning but at any rate ending in אֵל (ʾēl, “God”).

## What it means

Othniel is grouped under god.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 12 | 6,896 |
| 2012 | 19 | 4,995 |
| 2013 | 24 | 4,147 |
| 2014 | 37 | 3,074 |
| 2015 | 31 | 3,568 |
| 2016 | 27 | 3,959 |
| 2017 | 44 | 2,788 |
| 2018 | 64 | 2,186 |
| 2019 | 56 | 2,413 |
| 2020 | 38 | 3,061 |
| 2021 | 42 | 2,957 |
| 2022 | 33 | 3,515 |
| 2023 | 36 | 3,329 |
| 2024 | 30 | 3,763 |
| 2025 | 47 | 2,746 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 7 | 2,613 |
| 2012 | 7 | 2,721 |
| 2013 | 13 | 1,706 |
| 2014 | 9 | 2,248 |
| 2015 | 9 | 2,319 |
| 2016 | 9 | 2,335 |
| 2017 | 8 | 2,512 |
| 2018 | 13 | 1,786 |
| 2019 | 10 | 2,104 |
| 2020 | 11 | 1,935 |
| 2021 | 13 | 1,782 |
| 2022 | 7 | 2,755 |
| 2023 | 17 | 1,461 |
| 2024 | 25 | 1,132 |
| 2025 | 17 | 1,538 |

## People named Othniel

- Othniel Charles Marsh, American paleontologist (1831–1899)
- Othniel Looker, Fifth Governor of Ohio (1757-1845)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.