Given name & surname
Octavian
“the eighth-born child”
Octavian is a variant of Octavio. One Latin interpretation is “the eighth-born child.”
Original LatinOctavianus
Meaning & origin
What it means
Octavian is a variant of Octavio. One Latin interpretation is “the eighth-born child.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Latin.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1970. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Octavian appears in Acts 9:33.
From biblical name research
Octavian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,481
- 1,481 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 66 babies
- 2025
- 51
- #2,592 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +18%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 51 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,592 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 18.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,348 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Octavian’s family of names
Octavian has a related form in Octavio. Octavian is a form of Octavianus. In English usage, Octavian has a conventional equivalent in the Latin form Octavianus.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Octavian has relatives in 11 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
Latinwhere Octavian comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 13
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Octavian
- Octavian GogaRomanian poet and politician (1881–1938)
- Octavian PopescuRomanian footballer (born 2002)
- Octavian PalerRomanian writer and journalist (1926–2007)
- Octavian Belluhead of Romanian national artistic gymnastics team (born 1951)
- Octavian SmigelschiTransylvanian painter (1866–1912)
- Octavian NemescuRomanian composer (1940–2020)
- Octavian MorariuRomanian rugby union player (1961-)
- Octavian ȚîcuMoldovan historian and politician (born 1972)
- Octavian AbrudanRomanian footballerborn 1984
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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