Given name
Odessa
“one who wanders; an angry woman”
In Greek use, Odessa carries the interpretation “one who wanders; an angry woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Greek use, Odessa carries the interpretation “one who wanders; an angry woman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
Odessa is used as a feminine counterpart of Odysseus.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Odessa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 18,718
- 154 boys · 18,564 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 470 babies
- 2025
- 193
- #1,197 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +25%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 193 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,197 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 25.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 464 in 1920. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (22). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,909 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.
Odessa’s family of names
Odessa is a feminine form of Odysseus. Odessa has a related form in Odessia. Odessa has a related form in Odissa.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Odessa
- Odessa A'zionAmerican actress and voice actressborn 2000
- Odessa YoungAustralian actressborn 1998
- Odessa RaeCanadian film producerborn 1982
- Odessa ClevelandAmerican actressborn 1944
- Odessa Grady Claymother of boxer Muhammad Ali (1917-1994)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Odessa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Inez
“one who is pure; chaste”
1% boys · 99% girls
Dorothy
“a gift of God”
>99% girls
Sybil
“a prophetess; a seer”
>99% girls
Elvira
“a-truthful woman; one who can be trusted”
>99% girls
Novella
Novella is a surname from Italian, ultimately from Catalan. It is used in English and Italian.
>99% girls
Dorothea
“a gift of God”
>99% girls
Ida
“a king”
>99% girls
Alma
“one who is nurturing and kind” · “refers to the soul”
1% boys · 99% girls